WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU DRINK ORANGE JUICE FOR A COLD

Medically reviewed by Karina Tolentino, RD

Key Takeaways

• While orange juice contains lots of vitamin C, it's not expected to help much with cold symptoms. Orange juice can even worsen them in some people.
• If you do drink orange juice, look for 100% juice that's pasteurized and without added sugars.
• It's important to stay hydrated to fight a cold, and drinking warm beverages like soup broth and tea with honey can also help.

Orange juice is a good source of vitamin C, which is important for immune function when you're sick with a cold. While high doses of vitamin C may provide some relief, drinking orange juice may not actually help much with cold symptoms, and may sometimes make them worse.

1. Inflammation May Decrease

One cup of orange juice contains about 125 milligrams of vitamin C, which is over 100% of the daily value (DV). Oranges and orange juice also contain beneficial nutrients like flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), calcium, potassium, and folate.

One review notes that the antioxidants and folate in orange juice may help with immune function, inflammation, and tissue repair. The authors suggest that orange juice might also have anti-viral potential, though this has not been proven in human studies. They note that drinking orange juice daily is linked with lower inflammatory markers.

2. Symptoms May Feel Less Severe

A meta-analysis suggests that taking high-dose vitamin C supplements (more than 1,000 milligrams per day) might help improve symptoms and shorten the duration of a cold, particularly for people with severe symptoms. While orange juice is a good source of vitamin C, it contains only about 12% of the high dose in the studies, so it may not have the same effect.

Many people think that orange juice helps with the common cold, with one survey showing that over one-third of people drink orange juice or eat oranges to treat colds. However, most of the research looks at vitamin C rather than orange juice, and in doses that juice doesn't provide.

3. You May Have More Mucus and Irritation

The citrus in orange juice may actually sometimes worsen cold symptoms. It can irritate the throat and increase mucus production in some people, like those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Other Immune-Boosting Foods

If you're trying to naturally boost your vitamin C for a cold, the following foods, along with oranges, can help up your intake:

• Bell peppers
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Broccoli
• Strawberries
• Brussels sprouts
• Tomato

Other Drinks to Soothe a Cold

Orange juice may contain added sugars, making it a less nutritious alternative to eating whole oranges, which also have fiber that juice does not. Experts recommend that people get no more than half of their fruit intake to come from juice—choose 100% juice that has been pasteurized and does not contain added sugars.

Adding in other cold-fighting fluids can help support any benefits orange juice may offer. In addition to making sure you include vitamin C-rich foods in your diet, it's important to stay well hydrated to fight a cold. Some drinks that may help soothe a sore throat or cold include:

• Warm herbal tea, such as peppermint or chamomile tea
• Soup broth, which offers hydration and thins mucus
• Warm water or tea with honey, for anyone older than a year

Read the original article on Verywell Health

2025-12-02T15:03:00Z