Taking zinc acetate lozenges when you have a cold might help you get better faster, cutting down how long you're sick by about 2 to 3 days.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Zinc acetate lozenges for treating the common cold: an individual patient data meta-analysis.
This study looked at zinc acetate lozenges and found they shorten colds by about 2.7 to 2.9 days, which matches exactly what the claim says.
Contradicting (2)
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Zinc acetate lozenges for the treatment of the common cold: a randomised controlled trial
This study tested the same zinc lozenges as the claim, but found they didn't help people recover from colds faster—in fact, people taking zinc recovered slower after stopping the lozenges.
Effect of treatment with zinc gluconate or zinc acetate on experimental and natural colds.
The study looked at two types of zinc lozenges and found that the one mentioned in the claim didn't shorten colds at all, while another type did a little but not as much as claimed.
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.