Taking high-dose zinc lozenges every day might help adults get over colds faster—cutting how long you're sick by more than a third compared to not taking them.

39

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

39

Community contributions welcome

39

Zinc acetate lozenges for treating the common cold: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2016 Nov

This study looked at the same zinc lozenges and found they shorten colds by about the same amount as the claim says, so it supports the idea that they work.

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 for treating the common cold: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

Score: 39

DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13057

Similar Assertions

Taking high-dose zinc lozenges can shorten how long you have a cold by about 3 days, especially for adults between 20 and 50 years old.

39

0

92%

Taking high-dose zinc lozenges right when you start feeling a cold can shorten how long you're sick by almost half, according to studies in adults.

33

0

92%

Taking zinc lozenges with less than 75 mg per day doesn't seem to shorten how long a cold lasts, based on studies comparing them to fake pills. It might only work if you take enough.

39

0

92%

Taking zinc lozenges with a certain ingredient can shorten how long you have a cold by almost half, according to studies on people with real colds.

39

0

90%

Taking high-dose zinc lozenges for a cold for up to two weeks is generally safe and well-tolerated, with few side effects, according to studies with nearly 200 people.

33

0

90%