Health Claims

Honey might help reduce swelling and blood vessel growth in inflamed areas, based on a test in rats, which could mean it has properties that fight inflammation and block new blood vessels from forming.

Causal

Scientists think that a certain virus gets turned off more by chloride (like in salt) than by sodium (another part of salt), meaning chloride might be the key ingredient stopping the virus.

Correlational

Scientists found that a virus called Mengo stays just as strong and dangerous when mixed with salt water or plain water and kept warm, because it still killed mice in tests.

Descriptive

In studies where people tried zinc gluconate lozenges, most just noticed a bad taste or some mouth irritation, but nothing serious happened.

Descriptive

Taking zinc gluconate lozenges when you have a cold might help you get better about 7 days faster than if you didn't take them, according to a study.

Quantitative

Taking zinc lozenges every few hours might help people get over a cold faster, with more people feeling better in a week compared to those who don't take them.

Correlational

Salty water might help your body's cells fight off viruses better by boosting natural defenses, which could explain why saline treatments work in some medical trials, but more research is needed to be sure.

Mechanistic

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.

Descriptive

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.

Causal

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.

Causal

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.

Quantitative

Using saltwater nose rinses and gargling might help you get over a cold faster by about 2 days if you start doing it right when symptoms begin.

Causal

Taking zinc lozenges (like a special candy) right when you start feeling a cold can help you feel better. Using about 80-100 mg per day works best, and taking more than that doesn't give extra benefit.

Causal

Certain zinc lozenges can help treat colds if they're made without ingredients like citric acid, but if those ingredients are added, the lozenges might not work because they don't release enough zinc.

Causal

Taking zinc lozenges around 80-90 mg per day can shorten how long you have a cold by about one-third, and taking even more doesn't help much more than that.

Quantitative

Zinc lozenges might help you get over a cold faster, with zinc acetate ones possibly working a bit better than zinc gluconate ones, but the difference isn't clear enough to be sure.

Quantitative

Taking zinc lozenges with a certain amount of zinc each day can help shorten how long a cold lasts in adults by about one-third, based on a big review of studies.

Causal

Most zinc lozenges sold in the US probably won't help shorten or reduce cold symptoms because they don't have enough of the right kind of zinc that your body can use.

Descriptive

Zinc lozenges with certain chemical properties worked well in most tests, while others didn't work as often. This shows that how stable the zinc is might predict if it will work for you.

Correlational

When zinc lozenges have extra flavor ingredients like citric acid or glycine, they don't work as well for shortening colds because these ingredients stick to the zinc. Lozenges with multiple flavor additives showed no reduction in cold length, while those with just one reduced colds by over 3 days.

Causal

Different types of zinc lozenges release zinc in different amounts when they dissolve in your mouth, and this affects how well they work in studies.

Mechanistic

Zinc lozenges with more ionic zinc seem to help shorten colds faster, based on studies with lots of people, but the total amount of zinc doesn't matter as much.

Correlational

When people take zinc lozenges soon after getting a cold, they usually don't have bad side effects and don't quit the treatment early in studies.

Descriptive

Taking small amounts of zinc lozenges doesn't really help shorten a cold, but taking larger amounts might actually make you feel better faster.

Quantitative