Common Cold
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Medicine Cabinet Must-Haves for Cold and Flu Season
Avoid: Zinc
Avoid: Zinc
A separate, recent Cochrane review found that there might actually be some benefit to taking zinc to prevent a cold or to lesson its symptoms — but at a price.
The study reported that taking zinc at the onset of a cold can reduce the duration of your symptoms by about a day, and taking a zinc supplement daily for at least five months can reduce your risk for a cold by about a third. However, zinc lozenges come with side effects (a metal aftertaste and nausea for some people) and a pretty hefty price tag (nearly $11 for 48 lozenges). According to the study, reduction of symptoms was observed when a lozenge was taken every 1.5 to 2 hours — that's a lot of zinc for a one-day shorter cold.
By MedHelp Editors. Published November 8, 2011.
