Move Over Vitamin C

Just in time for the cold season, here’s something new to add to your arsenal of preventive tricks: vitamin E.

Previous research had suggested that the vitamin can boost immunity, but until now no one knew if it would have a measurable effect on the actual number of colds a person will catch. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, among 617 nursing home patients, those who took a daily E supplement (200 IU) for one year were 20 percent less likely to catch a cold than those who didn’t.

Athough the study focused on elderly people, vitamin E will likely raise immunity in younger people as well, says Simin Meydani, the Tufts University nutritionist who led the study. You can get vitamin E from foods like dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, and wheat germ, but to be sure you’re getting enough, a supplement of 200 to 400 IU is a good idea, too.