Taking zinc lozenges helped more people get better from colds faster. For every 2 to 3 people who take them, one extra person recovers by day 5 compared to those not taking them.

67

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

67

Community contributions welcome

67

Zinc Acetate Lozenges May Improve the Recovery Rate of Common Cold Patients: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2017 Spring

The study found exactly what the claim says: zinc lozenges helped more people get better faster from colds compared to placebo.

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 Acetate Lozenges May Improve the Recovery Rate of Common Cold Patients: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Score: 67

DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofx059

Similar Assertions

Taking zinc acetate lozenges soon after cold symptoms start can help otherwise healthy adults recover from a cold about three times faster than if they didn't take them.

67

0

90%

Taking zinc lozenges when you first feel a cold coming on doesn't really help you get better faster, according to a study on adults who get colds regularly.

0

74

86%

Taking zinc lozenges with less than 75 mg per day doesn't seem to shorten how long a cold lasts, based on studies comparing them to fake pills. It might only work if you take enough.

39

0

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Taking high-dose zinc lozenges every day might help adults get over colds faster—cutting how long you're sick by more than a third compared to not taking them.

39

0

85%

Taking high-dose zinc lozenges for a cold for up to two weeks is generally safe and well-tolerated, with few side effects, according to studies with nearly 200 people.

33

0

85%