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Nobody enjoys the aches, cough, and stuffy nose that comes with a cold,
没人喜欢感冒时的疼痛、咳嗽和鼻塞，
so it's no surprise that we spend a ton of money on over-the-counter symptom relief — $3 billion a year in the US alone.
所以也不奇怪，人们会花费许多钱购买非处方药来缓解症状——仅在美国一年花费就高达30亿美元。
And you've probably heard all sorts of tips and tricks to keep from getting sick:
你可能听过各种预防生病的小方子：
Drink some OJ for the vitamin C, spray some zinc into your nose.
喝橙汁摄取维C、往鼻子里喷些锌。
But it turns out that none of those popular cure-alls actually work. Take vitamin C, for example.
但事实证明那些流行的万能药并没什么作用。以维C为例。
It rose to fame as a cold-busting immuno-booster in 1970
1970年，维C作为一种冷破坏免疫助推器而热销
when Nobel Prize-Winning chemist Linus Pauling published a book promoting what he called "megadoses" of vitamin C.
那时一名诺贝尔奖获得者，化学家莱纳斯·鲍林出版了一本倡导大剂量服用维C的书。
Since he was so famous, the idea that vitamin C could cure colds spread quickly,
由于他是知名人士，因此关于维C能够治愈感冒的想法迅速传播，
even though it wasn't backed by solid science or the medical community.
虽然这种想法没有任何确切科学或医学界的支持。
It's not hard to see why he was so enamored with vitamin C —
不难看出他为何如此醉心于维C——
it's involved in a ton of biological processes, including regulating how your genes are expressed.
其中涉及很多生物进程，包括调节基因呈现方式。
It's so important that most animals synthesize it on their own;
多数动物都能够自己合成维C；
we humans are in the minority, because we don't have that ability and we have to get it from our diet.
而只有少数人类才能做到，因为我们没有这种能力并且我们需要从饮食中摄取。
Now a vitamin C deficiency does decrease your ability to fight off some infections,
维C的缺乏确实降低了人类对抗传染的能力，
and the most severe form, scurvy, can be fatal.
最严重一种形式-坏血病-是致命的。
But if you don't have a deficiency, the evidence for boosting your immunity with extra vitamin C is pretty shaky.
但如果你不缺维C，那么为促进免疫力而摄取额外维C的证据则相当不可靠。
A 2013 review pooled data from 29 studies with more than 10,000 participants
2013年一项复审中将29项研究的数据合并，研究对象超过一万人
and found that taking extra vitamin C had no effect on the number of colds a person got.
复审发现摄取额外的维C对感冒并没有作用。
Some studies found that taking extra vitamin C during a cold could shorten it slightly,
一些研究发现在感冒时，摄取额外维C能够稍微起到作用，
but when other studies tested that, the effect wasn't replicated.
但其他研究证实，效果是不可复制的。
Overall, the reviewers didn't recommend taking vitamin C unless you're undergoing extreme physical stress —
总的来说，复审者并不建议在经历偏激的体力紧张时摄取维C
like if you're a marathon runner or doing military training in the subarctic.
比如，如果你是一名马拉松运动员或在亚北极的进行军事训练。
So, if you're planning on exploring the frigid tundra Hoth-style, it might be helpful.
因此，如果你计划探索寒冷的冻土地带，可能会有用。
But otherwise, don't bother.
否则就别费劲了。
The evidence isn't much better for zinc, although there's a lot more controversy about it.
锌的情况也差不多，虽然关于锌有更多的争议。
Like with vitamin C, the idea of taking zinc is based on what happens to people with severe deficiencies.
和维C相似，摄取锌的想法是基于重度缺乏锌之人的经历。
Zinc is an essential component of all kinds of cellular processes, like DNA replication and cell division.
锌是所有细胞转化的必要成分，比如DNA复制和细胞分裂。
People with zinc deficiencies have severe immune dysfunction, and many die from infections.
缺锌的人有严重的免疫紊乱，并会因感染而死亡。
Since too little zinc is so devastating, the idea that more zinc equals more immunity might seem like a sensible leap.
既然缺锌会造成严重后果，那么更多锌相当于更高免疫力的想法似乎很明智。
But a review of the available research, also published in 2013, was lukewarm.
但可用研究（2013年发表）的审查却很不是这么说的。
There was no evidence that zinc prevented colds, and the only thing it seemed to do was make colds shorter,
没有证据能证明锌能预防感冒，它唯一能做的是缩短感冒时间，
as long as you took it within 24 hours of the first symptoms.
只要你在出现症状的24小时内服用即可。
But there are a bunch of reasons to be cautious about that finding.
但对于此发现，有很多地方需要引起注意。
For one thing, it's really hard to compare the studies on zinc in a scientific way, because there's no standard formula or dosage.
首先，要以一种科学的方式对锌研究进行比较很难，因为没有标准的配方或剂量。
The earlier version of the review, published in 2007, was withdrawn, and so was the 2015 update.
出版于2007年的早期复审版本已被撤回，并于2015年进行了版本更新。
That's how hard it is to draw conclusions from the research that's been done so far.
要从已完成的研究中进行总结很难。
And even if it does work, the side effects can be pretty awful.
即使确实有用，副作用也会很糟糕。
Many studies suggest taking more than 75 milligrams of zinc every day for effective treatment,
许多研究表明每天摄取超过75毫克的锌有着有效的治疗效果，
but the Institute of Medicine says the tolerable upper limit is only 40 milligrams a day.
但医学院称每天的上限摄取量仅为40毫克。
Even at that dose, a lot of people notice a bad taste and get nauseous.
即使是这种剂量，很多人都觉得其味道差且恶心。
And the nasal sprays have been linked to more than 100 cases of anosmia — the loss of the ability to smell.
鼻用喷雾和超过百种嗅觉缺失症相关联-失去嗅觉。
As for the almost unlimited number of herbal supplements, tonics,
至于多数中药补品、补养药
and teas that promise to help you dodge or cure colds ... very few of them have been studied extensively.
以及承诺能帮助预防或治愈感冒的茶...其中只有少量经过了广泛研究。
Not even echinacea, a long-time favorite in the herbal cold and flu arsenal,
即使是松果菊，一种深受喜爱的治愈感冒和流感的中药，
has science on its side: a 2014 review found no benefit from anything with echinacea in it.
也是有科学考据：2014年复审发现含有松果菊的任何东西都是没有什么益处的。
And that's assuming these supplements actually contain the advertised ingredients.
假设这些补品真的含有广告中声称的材料。
An investigation of herbal supplements by the New York State Attorney General's office
纽约州总检察长办公室中一项对中药补品的调查发现
found that four out of five products didn't contain any of what they listed on the box.
五种产品中就有四种不含包装盒上所写的材料。
At this point, you're probably wondering if there's anything you can do to prevent colds
此时，你可能想知道有没有什么方法能够预防感冒
or get rid of them more quickly once you have them.
或是更快的摆脱感冒。
Unfortunately … no. Not really.
不幸的是...没有。但不也全是。
Nasal decongestants, over-the-counter cough medicine,
鼻血管收缩药、非处方感冒药
and antihistamines all show little to no benefit when it comes to decreasing cold duration or severity.
以及抗组胺药在缩短感冒时间或降低严重程度方面效果微乎甚微。
That said, they can still make you feel better by helping with the symptoms.
这就是说，这些药片能够有所缓解。
It's also probably good advice to rest, stay hydrated, and try not to spread your germs to all your friends and coworkers.
休息、补水以及不要将病毒传染给朋友和同事都是不错的建议。
And while you're resting,
所幸当你休息时，
take comfort in the knowledge that there are researchers out there working on antiviral drugs and vaccines for the common cold.
研究员还在进行普通感冒的抗病毒药和疫苗的研制。
They haven't found much yet, but they are trying.
虽然还未发现，但还在进行尝试。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow, which was brought to you by our patrons on Patreon.
感谢收看本期科学秀，本期科学秀由Patreon赞助商提供。
If you want to help support this show, you can go to patreon.com/scishow.
如果你想支持科学秀，请登录patreon.com/scishow
And don't forget to go to youtube.com/scishow and subscribe!
不要忘记去youtube.com/scishow进行订阅！
