Zinc lozenges might help you get over a cold faster, with zinc acetate ones possibly working a bit better than zinc gluconate ones, but the difference isn't clear enough to be sure.

33

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

33

Community contributions welcome

33

Zinc lozenges and the common cold: a meta-analysis comparing zinc acetate and zinc gluconate, and the role of zinc dosage

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

2017 May

The study says exactly what the claim does: both types of zinc lozenges help shorten colds, with acetate working a bit better than gluconate, but the difference isn't big enough to be sure.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Zinc lozenges and the common cold: a meta-analysis comparing zinc acetate and zinc gluconate, and the role of zinc dosage

Score: 33

DOI: 10.1177/2054270417694291

Similar Assertions

Taking zinc lozenges around 80-90 mg per day can shorten how long you have a cold by about one-third, and taking even more doesn't help much more than that.

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Taking zinc gluconate lozenges when you have a cold might help you get better about 7 days faster than if you didn't take them, according to a study.

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Taking certain zinc lozenges (not the acetate kind) in high daily doses might shorten how long you have a cold by about one-fifth, but different brands or types seem to work differently based on studies.

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Taking zinc acetate lozenges when you have a cold can help you get better faster, cutting down how long you're sick by about 2 to 3 days.

67

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Taking zinc lozenges with a certain ingredient can shorten how long you have a cold by almost half, according to studies on people with real colds.

39

0

85%