The Study
A Randomized Controlled Trial on Zinc Supplementation for Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infections in Infants
This study gave some babies zinc and others a sugar pill to see if zinc helps them get better faster from colds and coughs. It found that kids who got zinc got better a little quicker and stayed in the hospital less, but it didn't stop them from getting sick in the first place. So, zinc might help you feel better faster, but it doesn't stop you from catching a cold.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave some babies a zinc supplement for two weeks to see if it helped them catch fewer colds or get better faster.
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 571 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though zinc didn't stop colds from happening, it helped babies feel better quicker and spend less time sick.
- 2Babies who took zinc had 14% fewer sick days and much higher zinc levels in their blood, but they still got just as many colds as babies who didn't take zinc.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences
Year
2023
Authors
Arshad Khan, Hamayun Anwar, A. Farhat, Ajaz Ahmed, Irfan Khan, Irfan Ullah
Related Content
Claims (4)
In infants aged 6 to 14 months, taking 20 mg of zinc daily for two weeks is linked to 14% fewer total days of acute respiratory infections, but does not change how often infections occur.
In infants aged 6 to 14 months, taking 20 mg of zinc daily for two weeks does not result in a statistically significant change in how often they get acute respiratory infections.
Infants aged 6 to 14 months who take 20 mg of zinc daily for two weeks during an acute respiratory infection have shorter hospital stays compared to those who do not.
A study reported two different numbers showing how often people got respiratory infections, and these numbers contradict each other, suggesting mistakes in how the data was recorded or reported.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.