Nutrition Intervention Research for Early Cold Throat Pain and Fever: Current Status

Early‑stage cold symptoms such as sore throat and fever arise when a virus infects the upper‑airway mucosa, triggering innate immunity and inflammatory responses. In South Korea, no health‑functional‑food ingredient has been officially recognized for directly improving throat pain or fever. Overseas, researchers have conducted studies in which specific ingredients are consumed immediately after symptom onset, or where participants regularly ingest certain nutrients and are then monitored for changes in cold incidence and symptom severity. These trials typically assess overall cold symptom scores and duration; a few also evaluate the impact on sore throat and fever specifically.