Polyphenol Drink Reduces Common Cold Symptoms

EPPELHEIM, GermanyAccording to German study results, a polyphenol-rich beverage showed immune-modulating effects by reducing symptoms of the common cold (Brit J Clin Nutr. May 21, 2010). A total of 98 patients reporting common cold symptoms, beginning no longer than 24 hours before the study intervention, were randomly assigned to consume either a test beverage or a placebo twice per day for 10 days. The severity of the disease was expressed as the total score of the five cold symptoms: general feeling of sickness, headache and/or joint aches, sore throat and/or difficulty swallowing, hoarseness and/or cough and stuffy nose/sniffle.

The decrease from 10.2 points at the beginning to 2.1 points by the end of the study in the treatment group demonstrated a clear improvement, whereas in the placebo group only a reduction from 10.5 to 6.3 points could be observed. The mean difference between the groups (primary efficacy criterion) of 3.9 points was highly significant (P<0.01). At the end of the study there were highly significantly (P<0.01) more patients in the treatment group complaint-free than in the placebo group (secondary efficacy criterion). In addition to these self-reported values, several local findings of the physical examination were also significantly improved in the treatment group.