It's hard to separate hype from health these days, especially when it comes
to treating the common cold. Without an effective, proven medical treatment
to control sneezes and sniffles, all sorts of remedies--some more valid than
others--have managed to muscle their way on to our medicine shelves. But at
least one, it seems, may actually do some good.
After reviewing 15 studies involving zinc, in the form of lozenges, tablets
or a syrup, researchers report that the mineral may help to shorten the
duration of a cold and reduce the severity of its symptoms. And children who
take zinc supplements regularly may even be able to prevent colds and reduce
the number of days they miss from school.
Meenu Singh and Rashmi Das at the Institute of Medical Education and
Research in Chandigarh, India, conducted a detailed review of the available
trials involving zinc's effect on colds. Their data, published in the
Cochrane Library, included 1,360 subjects and showed that zinc, if taken
within 24 hours after the first signs of a cold, can shave off about a day
of illness and lessen symptoms by about 40%. Previous studies have yielded
conflicting results, but the combined review supports the beneficial effects
of zinc in treating colds.