The ads used to be everpresent. The air traveler, locked in an aluminum trap with hosts of shockingly ill fellow travelers, a host of infectious disaster waiting to happen. The wary traveler wisely reaches into his or her bag, pulling out the the cure-all: airborne.
This generation's snake oil, the vitamin C megadose is widely held to bolster the immune system, helping your loyal host of T Cells to resist the onslaught of the barbarian hordes of bacterial and viral invaders. This, like the theory that anti-oxidants prevent cancer, is one of those unfortunate pop science ideas that has permeated society, the benefit of which is neglible to non-existent (unless you are the school-teacher who came up with "airborne").
Vitamin C megadoses don't improve your immune system. You may feel slightly better, since the chemical is a slight antihistamine, but if anything, the giant dose may prove slightly toxic. Vitamin C can cause urinary problems, not to mention the tendency to push your system to retain iron. In fact, habitual use of heavy Vitamin C dosages can drive you to develop hemochromatosis, a disease of iron overload that causes major liver damage (and makes eating raw oysters extremely dangerous).
So next time you fly, if you are so exceedingly terrified of the bugs, I strongly suggest a facemask.
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