People who took zinc lozenges were much more likely to have a bad taste in their mouth than those who took fake ones, but over a third of zinc users didn't have any taste problems at all.

0

Pro

74

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

74

Community contributions welcome

74

Zinc acetate lozenges for the treatment of the common cold: a randomised controlled trial

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2020 Jan 23

The study found that 37% of zinc users reported no bad taste, but 69% of placebo users also reported no bad taste—not just 7% as claimed. This means the claim exaggerates how much worse zinc tasted compared to placebo.

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 for the treatment of the common cold: a randomised controlled trial

Score: 74

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031662

Similar Assertions

In studies where people tried zinc gluconate lozenges, most just noticed a bad taste or some mouth irritation, but nothing serious happened.

46

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Some people get a bad taste from zinc lozenges when using them for a short time to treat colds, but there's no proof they cause any lasting harm.

0

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Different ingredients in zinc lozenges can change how well they work, even if the amount of zinc is the same, because some ingredients stick to the zinc and make it harder for your body to use it.

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