Zinc Lozenges For Common Colds
Some studies have shown these lozenges help, while others found they didn’t. For the latest investigation, researchers at the University of Finland gave packages of lozenges to 253 study participants and instructed them to start using them at the first sign of a cold, and to take six lozenges daily for a total zinc dose of 78 mg per day for five days. Of the 88 participants who caught colds, 46 took zinc lozenges, while 42 took placebos. Results showed no differences in the rate of recovery among the study participants who used the zinc and those in placebo group, who were given lozenges without zinc. In fact, the study showed that after the five days of treatment, participants who took zinc recovered more slowly than those in the placebo group. Lead researcher Harri Hamilä, M.D., Ph.D., wrote that in future trials, “the dosage of zinc should be greater, the lozenges should dissolve more slowly, the treatment should last longer than five days…(and) the character of lozenges that are clinically efficacious should be defined in detail.”
Source:
Harri Hemila et al, “Zinc acetate lozenges for the treatment of the common cold: a randomised controlled trial,” BMJ Open, doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031662
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