Oral Zinc Found To Reduce Common Cold Symptoms In Adults More Than Kids
May 8, 2012 People who take oral zinc may experience shorter common cold symptoms than those who do not, researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, and McMaster University reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).The authors added that adverse effects, especially when higher doses are taken, are common.
The authors gathered data on 17 randomized human studies involving 2,121 individuals aged from 1 to 65 years. They wanted to find out how efficient and safe oral zinc might be as a treatment for the common cold. All the trials used placebos and oral zinc preparations, and were double-blinded.
They found that zinc significantly reduced cold symptom duration, compared to placebos. However, they emphasized that the evidence was of "moderate" quality. Higher doses appeared to have a better effect.
Dr. Michelle Science said:
"We found that orally administered zinc shortened the duration of cold symptoms. These findings, however, are tempered by significant heterogeneity and quality of evidence."
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