Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might cut down how often colds spread in families by about a third, which could help keep more people from getting sick.

56

Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

56

Community contributions welcome

56

A pilot, open labelled, randomised controlled trial of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling for the common cold

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2019 Jan 31

The study tested the same saltwater nose rinse and gargle method and found it reduced cold spread in homes by 35%, just like the claim said, but it was a small study so bigger ones are needed.

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

A pilot, open labelled, randomised controlled trial of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling for the common cold

Score: 56

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37703-3

Similar Assertions

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help people with viruses shed less of the virus, making them less contagious and possibly feeling better faster, but this is based on a small study and needs more research.

56

0

90%

In a small test, most people found that using saltwater nose rinses and gargling helped their cold symptoms and were happy to do it, showing it might work well for bigger studies.

56

0

83%

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help adults with common colds caused by certain coronaviruses feel better about 2.6 days faster, according to a small study.

69

0

82%

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help healthy adults with colds use 36% less store-bought medicine, according to a small study. This could mean fewer people need drugs for cold symptoms, but bigger studies are needed to be sure.

56

0

81%

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help adults with common colds from coronaviruses feel less stuffy faster, cutting down how long their nose stays blocked by about 3 days, according to a small study.

69

0

79%