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.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Community contributions welcome

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

Contradicting (0)

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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 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.

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Taking high-dose zinc lozenges can shorten how long you have a cold by about 3 days, especially for adults between 20 and 50 years old.

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Taking zinc lozenges with a certain amount of zinc each day can help shorten how long a cold lasts in adults by about one-third, based on a big review of studies.

90%

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.

90%

Taking small amounts of zinc lozenges doesn't really help shorten a cold, but taking larger amounts might actually make you feel better faster.

90%