lots of colds - multivitamins anyone

[kelownagirl]

I swear by ColdFX. With all the runny noses I come across each day, it's what keeps me healthy. That and washing my hands obsessively.

[lph]

I get colds a lot less if I'm diligent about eating nutritious food (not vit/min supplements, though I do take seal oil and calcium), getting enough sleep regularly (very important), washing my hands and avoiding people who have colds!

A couple of stressful days with junk food, little sleep and a few commutes on the metro among runny-nosed people and I'm down, though... and they take forever to go away completely. (the colds, not the runny-nosed people :P)

I take echinacea on occasion if I feel a cold early on, but for me it seems to just postpone the cold until I stop taking it.

[shorty]

I eat well, lots of fruit and vegetables, but I work in a Childrens hospital emergency department and am often on shift after a long training ride which however much you wash your hands still exposes me to more bugs than most!
Read some papers on role of multivitamins with probiotics in healthy 30ish year olds, seemed to reduce number and duration of colds. Also read the stuff about zinc and vitamin c - neither very compelling. Finally good carbohydrate drinks during and post training seem to minimise drop in immune markers post excercise although whether this helps with actually getting infections is unclear. I think I will look at multivitamins with probiotics and try not to do my long rides on days when I work an 8 hour shift afterwards!