Can Airborne Really Help Prevent Colds and Flu? (2024)

When faced with a cold or flu, people will often turn to over-the-counter (OTC) supplements that promise to "boost" their immune system. One such product is an American dietary brand known as Airborne. It offers a range of supplements composed of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbal extracts that are said to offer immune support.

Anecdotally, there are many people who say Airborne works to prevent and shorten a cold. However, there isn't much scientific research that supports this.

This article takes an unbiased look at the issue, breaking down the ingredients, risks, and what the current research says.

What Are Airborne Immune Support Supplements?

Airborne Immune Support supplements were created during the 1990s by Victoria McKnight-McDowell a former schoolteacher who posited that a combination of natural ingredients could enhance the body's immune function and shield it from minor infections like the common cold.

Sold in a variety of formulations—including tablets, lozenges, gummies, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets, and powders—Airborne was initially marketed as an "immune booster" capable of preventing the common cold. Other OTC products have made similar claims, including brands like Emergen-C, NatureMade ImmuneMax, and Zicam Immune Support.

It seems a logical hypothesis given that certain vitamins (which function as antioxidants) and minerals (which function as electrolytes) are essential to the body's immune defense. On the flip side, a deficiency of amino acids is linked to a weakened immune response.

McKnight-McDowell further added herbal extracts which anecdotal evidence suggests may have immune-boosting properties.

Today, there are no fewer than 20 different Airborne formulations, some with flavors like blueberry-pomegranate or pink grapefruit and others with ingredients or additives such as elderberry. There is even one formulation directly marketed for children (called Airborne Kids Assorted Fruit Flavored Immune Support Gummies).

When to Take Airborne

Airborne has products that are meant to be taken every day to prevent colds as well as products that deliver larger doses of vitamin C, which are typically taken at the onset of a cold.Follow the instructions on the manufacturer's packaging and don't take more than directed.

Active and Inactive Ingredients

Airborne Original, the brand's cornerstone product, is comprised of 17 nutrients and herbs that serve as its active ingredients:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Manganese
• Sodium
• Glutamine
• Lysine
• Echinacea
• Ginger
• Vitex
• Japanese catnip
• Isatis root
• Forsythia

Arguably, the "backbone" ingredient is vitamin C. Each dose contains 750 milligrams (mg) or 833% of the recommended daily intake (RDI).

Airborne Original also contains inactive ingredients such as maltodextrin, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide, dextrose (sugar), vegetable coloring, and citrus flavoring.

What the Research Says

It is well known that many of Airborne's active ingredients, namely vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, play a central role in the body's immune function.

Whether the amounts delivered in Airborne supplements "boost" the immune system (even in those with nutritional deficiencies) remains unproven.

To start, the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids contained in Airborne are readily obtained in the foods we eat, and, with the exception of vitamin C (833% of the RDI), vitamin E (45% of the RDI), and selenium (27% of the RDI), are not delivered at levels much higher than one would obtain with a normal diet. The remaining nutrients fall well below 10% of the RDI.

Even with vitamin C, increasing the amount circulating in your body is no guarantee you won't still get a cold.

There is limited evidence that the ingredients in Airborne may be more helpful if taken when you already have a cold. Some, like vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea may help shorten the duration of the illness.

A 2020 review study found similar results with regard to zinc, another popular anti-cold remedy.

With respect to ingredients like echinacea, there has been mixed evidence that it may help shorten (rather than prevent) colds. Even so, a review of studies published in 2014 concluded that the overall evidence is "weak."

There is even less evidence that ginger (or any of the other herbal extracts) offers anything in the way of immune protection against the cold or any other infection.

Is Airborne FDA Approved?

No dietary supplement is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is because supplements are not regulated in the United States in the same way as prescription drugs. While vitamin supplements are "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), they are not independently tested by the FDA until there is ample evidence of harm.

The FDA requires supplements like Airborne to carry a disclaimer stating that the product "is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

Whenever manufacturers step over the line, legal action can be taken as occurred with the manufacturers of Airborne back in 2008.

Airborne Side Effects and Safety

Although Airborne supplements are generally safe, they are not for everyone. People who are pregnant or nursing should not take Airborne unless instructed to do so by their healthcare provider. The same applies to children under the age of 4. (Airborne Kids Gummies is only recommended for children 4 and over.)

There are few side effects associated with Airborne, but the manufacturer warns that some people may experience "sensitivity to any of the vitamins or herbal extract" ingredients. Sensitivity refers to both allergies and general intolerance of the ingredients (manifesting with stomach upset, nausea, or diarrhea).

Airborne should be used with caution in people with diabetes, particularly children with diabetes, as it does contain sugar.

Certain vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicines can interact with other drugs. Talk to your healthcare provider before taking Airborne if you use any of the following:

• Antacids
  
• Antibiotics
• Anticoagulants ("blood thinners") like warfarin
• Diuretics ("water pills")
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil (ibuprofen) or aspirin
• Sulfa drugs
• Tretinoin or isotretinoin (vitamin A derivatives)

Summary

Airborne is a brand of supplements containing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs that the manufacturers suggest can support immune health. While it was once actively promoted as an "immune-booster" able to cure or prevent colds, there is no evidence to support the claims.