How Oral Zinc Found To Reduce Common Cold Symptoms

 How Oral Zinc Found To Reduce Common Cold Symptoms


Why we need Oral Zinc?

Zinc supplements are used to prevent or treat zinc deficiency.

The body needs zinc for normal growth and health. For patients who are unable to get enough zinc in their regular diet or who have a need for more zinc, zinc supplements may be necessary. They are generally taken by mouth but some patients may have to receive them by injection.

Zinc supplements may be used for other conditions as determined by your health care professional. Lack of zinc may lead to poor night vision and wound-healing, a decrease in sense of taste and smell, a reduced ability to fight infections, and poor development of reproductive organs.

Acrodermatitis enteropathica (a lack of absorption of zinc from the intestine)

Alcoholism

Burns

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Down's syndrome

Eating disorders

Intestine diseases

Infections (continuing or chronic)

Kidney disease

Liver disease

Pancreas disease

Sickle cell disease

Skin disorders

Stomach removal

Stress (continuing)

Thalassemia

Trauma (prolonged)

In addition, premature infants may need additional zinc.

Increased need for zinc should be determined by your health care professional.

Claims that zinc is effective in preventing vision loss in the elderly have not been proven. Zinc has not been proven effective in the treatment of porphyria.

Injectable zinc is given by or under the supervision of a health care professional. Other forms of zinc are available without a prescription.

Once a medicine or dietary supplement has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although this use is not included in product labelling, zinc supplements are used in certain patients with the following medical condition:

New Research

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.

After taking oral zinc supplements for one week, the evidence or any benefits regarding cold symptoms was week. Taking zinc for two to three days seemed to have no impact at all.

Regular zinc consumption was found to help adults reduce their duration and severity of cold symptoms. However, no benefits at all were observed in children.

The most common adverse events associated with zinc supplements were nausea and a bad taste.

Dr. Science explained that prior studies showed conflicting effects of zinc in the reduction of symptom severity, as well as duration.

The authors concluded:

Until further evidence becomes available, there is only a weak rationale for physicians to recommend zinc for the treatment of the common cold. The questionable benefits must be balanced against the potential adverse effects.

(Source- Canadian Medical Association Journal)

 How Oral Zinc Found To Reduce Common Cold Symptoms