How Zinc can help against colds?

When you sick by colds, taking of zinc is often recommended. Researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration have now published the studies about taking zinc for colds spotted with positive results.

Treating with Zinc against simple colds is still not in medical competence.
Drugs may relieve the symptoms, but not shorten the duration of illness. A but again and again at the first signs of cold we read recommendation to take the zinc. But Zinc should reduce the duration of colds. Now researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration checked this information.

The scientists have available data about zinc intake for colds and again essentially confirmed the results of the last analysis. Accordingly with this results, zinc, taken in time, shorten the duration of a cold. For the analysis were taken into account only placebo-controlled double-blind studies. The zinc was filed in the form of syrup by the subjects of lozenges or other tablets.

Shorten duration of colds by one day.

It turned out that the duration of the common cold could be shortened by one day if the patient had begun use of zinc within 24 hours after the first symptoms. On day seven, significantly more patients were free of symptoms than a patients that were treated with placebo therapy. The severity of cold symptoms was not affected by the intake of zinc, however.

“Zinc, taken as a syrup or lozenge within 24 hours after onset of symptoms, reduces the duration of a cold,” is the conclusion of the study authors. In vitro tests indicate that zinc suppresses the replication of rhinoviruses. It may also prevent the attachment of the virus to specific receptors in the nasal epithelium. In addition, there are suspicions that zinc advantageous affects the immune system.

Because of the heterogeneous data, the study authors cannot specify what pharmaceutical form and dosage is optimal. Apparently, a daily dose of 75 milligrams is recommended in the form of lozenges. However, at too high doses caution is required, because from 100 milligrams of zinc per day may occur vomiting and diarrhea.