Reality Check Can alcohol cure a cold

When it comes to quick remedies for colds, many people insist that a glass of brandy or a hot toddy -- whiskey with hot water and lemon juice -- is just what the doctor ordered.

It's not difficult to see how mild inebriation might have the potential to relieve cold and flu symptoms, but so far no study has shown that alcohol has the ability to kill germs in the bloodstream or stop a cold in its tracks. And while alcohol may provide temporary relief, it can prolong symptoms by increasing dehydration.

Nonetheless, two large studies have found that moderate drinking will not cure colds but can help keep them at bay. One, by researchers at Carnegie Mellon in 1993, looked at 391 adults and found that resistance to colds increased with moderate drinking, except in smokers.

Then, in 2002, researchers in Spain followed 4,300 healthy adults, examining their habits and susceptibility to colds. The study, in The American Journal of Epidemiology, found no relationship between the incidence of colds and consumption of beer, spirits, vitamin C or zinc. But drinking eight to 14 glasses of wine per week, particularly red wine, was linked to as much as a 60 percent reduction in the risk of developing a cold. The scientists suspected this had something to do with the antioxidant properties of wine.