A
recent review on NPR, discussed the Cochrane Collaborations latest review on
zinc as a cold buster. Despite older findings, showing “little evidence” that
this micro mineral had any effect on the duration of a common cold, the new
study, completed with nearly twice as many subjects showed otherwise. It showed
that people who ingested zinc, especially those who increased intake within the
first 24 hours of showing cold symptoms experienced shorter and more mild
colds. They also had a decreased use of antibiotics after ingesting zinc,
whether in food, pills, or throat lozenges. It is widely known that zinc
deficiency has a negative effect on immune system, and it appears that the
presence of zinc has a positive one. Zinc may prevent the release of histamine
and prostaglandin, which increase inflammation in the nose, which leads to
stuffiness, pain and sneezing, according to this NPR review.
Nancy Shute, February 16th, 2011
I really like this post because when I was younger and felt sick my mom would always tell me to take zinc. I was always skeptical as to whether it worked or not, but this post seems to support the idea that it helps with colds. Good post.
ReplyDeleteMom's know all the remedies ;) I have never taken zinc for a cold, but I think I will after reading this.
ReplyDelete