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Zinc may provide relief from the annoying symptoms
of a cold, including cough, sore throat and stuffy nose, new research
suggests.
Researchers instructed 50 people with a cold to take
a zinc lozenge containing 12.8 mg of zinc acetate, or a placebo, every
2 to 3 hours for as long as their symptoms persisted.
Each day, patients rated the severity of their
symptoms including:
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Scratchy throat
- Hoarseness
- Muscle ache
- Headache
- Fever.
The zinc group reported symptoms for an average of
4.5 days and those in the placebo group for about 8 days
Runny nose and cough appeared to respond best to the
mineral. Coughing lasted about 6 days in the group of patients taking
a placebo compared with 3 days in the group taking zinc.
Side effects of zinc lozenges included dry mouth and
constipation but the mineral did not appear to lead to nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea or stomach cramps, the findings suggest.
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But consuming high doses of the mineral for more
than 3 days can be dangerous, investigators warn. Too much zinc can
lead to a deficiency of copper, a rare condition that can disrupt
normal growth and metabolism.
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Researchers recommend that if there is no clear
evidence of improvement after 3 days of zinc treatment, this could
indicate something more serious than a simple cold.
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The study was funded by a foundation related to
the company holding the patent for zinc lozenges.
Some researchers suggest that zinc may help to reduce
cytokines, immune system proteins that help to drive inflammation, but
the current investigation found no significant differences in levels of
cytokines between the two groups.
Annals of Internal Medicine
August 15, 2000;133:245-252, 302.
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