Some set-up for this quote would help. I think the point here is that even though the human body is remarkably adept at dealing with colds, it's not perfect. And the situation isn't helped by the fact that busy people often don't get the optimal level of nutrients. But some people don t have optimal levels of nutrients in their systems to fight off an infection quickly, Fuchs lamented. And sometimes impatience gets the better of people who want a scratchy throat or stuffy head to clear as soon as possible.
Many people turn to dietary supplements to combat the cold and flu.
This can be expensive. Over 4.5 billion dollars were spent on vitamin and nutritional supplements in 1995, the most recent statistics listed by Current Industrial Reports. Still, the National Center for Health Statistics reports 95 million cases of flu and another 61 million cases of the common cold annually. Nice, solid background material. It provides the context readers will need.