The Study
Zinc ion availability--the determinant of efficacy in zinc lozenge treatment of common colds.
This study is like someone looking at old test scores and using math to guess why some students did better than others. It can suggest ideas about what might help with colds, but it can't prove anything because it's just working with numbers instead of doing new tests.
Analysis score
Maximum 0 for a computational/algorithm study.
Where the score came from
Some zinc lozenges help colds go away faster, others make them last longer, depending on the type of zinc they release.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 50 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, a week shorter or longer cold is a big difference for people.
- 2Good lozenges (ZIA=100) shorten colds by 7 days; bad ones (ZIA=-55) lengthen colds by 4.4 days.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Year
1997
Authors
Eby Ga
Related Content
Claims (4)
Different zinc lozenges let your body absorb zinc differently. Some, like zinc acetate, let you use all the zinc, while others don't let you use any at all.
Zinc lozenges that dissolve properly in your mouth can help you get over a cold faster, cutting down how long you're sick by up to a week.
Zinc lozenges with a certain chemical property might make your cold last longer—specifically, about 4 extra days—instead of helping you get better faster.
This claim says that zinc lozenges might help shorten colds, and the more zinc your body can use from them, the faster your cold might go away.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.