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

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 tested exactly what the claim said—zinc lozenges taken early for colds—and found people got better three times faster, just like the claim states.

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 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.

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