Avoiding catching colds? Tips wanted

Ben Goldacre (Dude that wrote Bad Science) says Vitamin C, anti-oxidants etc etc etc no proof, no proper clinical trials carried out, all based on tabloid 'cherry picking' of 'facts' from mostly non-clinical trials by companies mostly marketing pills...lifestyle products....etc etc....

I don't know where I'm going with this.....

I don't doubt Benny G is right about claims made for Vitiman C as an anti-oxidant being unproven - and for claims made for anti-oxidants in general being unproven - and about the woeful 'health' reporting in tabloids (we have dead children to prove their efficacy in this area).

But you are conflating a load of things here.

The idea behind using Vitamin C for colds is not based on it's potential to alleviate oxidative stress, to mop up free radicals, but on it's claimed ability to hinder the virus through disabling it's ability to enter the cell.

Even here don't take my word for it, I'm no scientist, it might be a load of horseshit, the evidence is inconclusive.