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Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Risk

Upper respitatory tract infections (URTIs) are sicknesses that mostly affect the lung and breathing capacities, and is the cause of many cold symptoms. Supplements that reduce the risk of developing URTIs are said to promote immunity.

Kamal Patel
Research analysis led by .
Reviewed by
Examine.com Team
Last Updated:

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Human Effect Matrix

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what supplements affect upper respiratory tract infection risk.
Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Supplement Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-a
Echinacea
Notable High See all 11 studies
The reduction in rate of sickness seen with echinacea as a daily supplement is highly effective in some instances, but subject to a high degree of variability. It is notable due to it being a comparator.
grade-c
Andrographis paniculata
Minor - See study
Appears to be better than placebo, although it is difficult to assess potency.
grade-c
Colostrum
Minor - See all 3 studies
There may be a minor reduction in the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) seen with colostrum, although more evidence is needed to confirm this activity as current trials are usually underpowered.

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grade-c
Garlic
 
grade-c
Vitamin E
 
grade-c
Lactobacillus reuteri
 
grade-c
Vitamin C
 
grade-c
Vitamin D
 
grade-c
Zinc
 
grade-d
Lactobacillus casei
 
grade-d
Polypodium leucotomos
 

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By becoming an Examine Plus member, you'll have access to all of the latest nutrition research on over 300 supplements across over 500 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more.

Things to Note

Also Known As

URTI, URTI risk

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 0 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of research information and references for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Risk.

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