Healthy Living
Common Cold - Zinc
By David Perlmutter, MD, FACN
The common cold is without question the most frequently referenced human health malady when it comes to vitamin treatments, folk remedies, and nutritional approaches. While studies have demonstrated that increased vitamin C consumption may reduce the risk of catching a cold, no study as yet has clearly proven a role for vitamin C in shortening the length of symptoms in this all too common malady.
Dr. Michael Macknin and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio have recently published their research demonstrating an actual shortening of duration of the common cold in patients receiving supplemental zinc. They evaluated 100 patients in a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Within 24 hours of the onset of cold symptoms, participants received either lozenges containing 13.3 mg of zinc (gluconate) or a placebo, every two hours while awake until cold symptoms disappeared. The average time until patients were symptom free was 4.4 days in the group receiving zinc compared to 7.6 days in the placebo group.
When looking at particular symptoms, those which improved most rapidly in the treatment group included cough, nasal congestion, headache, and hoarseness, while little change was noted with respect to duration of fever, muscle aches, sneezing, or scratchy throat.
How supplemental zinc could be so effective in reducing the duration of cold symptoms is unclear. It is known, however, that zinc can prevent the replication of various viruses as well as inhibit the ability of certain viruses to anchor themselves to the lining cells of the lungs. Zinc also has various anti-inflammatory properties which may explain some of the symptomatic improvements noted in this study.
Another helpful addition to the anti-cold armamentarium includes echinacea. This powerful herb is widely available at health food stores and has been the subject of more than 350 scientific studies world wide. Echinacea has a profound effect on the immune system, increasing the number of disease fighting cells as well as their effectiveness. We generally recommend the use of the tincture, 1 full dropper in a small glass of water, 2-4 times a day for 1-2 weeks or until cold symptoms have abated. Zinc lozenges, like the ones described above are also commonly available at health food stores.