Zinc lozenges don't help reduce how long colds last or how bad they feel, whether you catch a cold naturally or in a study where they give you a cold virus.

49

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

49

Community contributions welcome

49

Effect of treatment with zinc gluconate or zinc acetate on experimental and natural colds.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2000 Nov

The study looked at the same zinc lozenges mentioned in the claim and found they didn't help shorten or reduce cold symptoms, just as the claim says.

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

Effect of treatment with zinc gluconate or zinc acetate on experimental and natural colds.

Score: 49

DOI: 10.1086/317437

Similar Assertions

Taking zinc lozenges doesn't make cold symptoms less severe, according to a study with 273 people who were given cold viruses.

0

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When adults with cold symptoms take zinc gluconate lozenges, their colds might get better faster, but this only worked in a special test setting and not with real-world colds or different zinc types.

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Zinc lozenges might help with cold symptoms, but lab tests show zinc doesn't really fight cold viruses directly, so there's probably another reason they work.

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Zinc lozenges might help with colds, but it depends on how much zinc you take and what type of zinc it is. Taking more than 75 mg a day works, while less doesn't, and acetate zinc works better than other kinds.

39

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Zinc lozenges help with cold symptoms not just in your throat where the zinc is strongest, but also in your nose just as much.

33

0

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