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Although zinc supplements cannot cure the common cold, some evidence suggests that timely zinc supplements may reduce the severity and duration of a cold. The results of some clinical studies, but not all, have suggested that when people with a cold were provided zinc supplements their symptoms were less severe and they recovered more quickly than people not receiving the supplements. |
Most of the zinc tested was in the form of zinc gluconate lozenges; currently nasal sprays are also available. Zinc might bind to the virus that causes the cold and decrease its ability to infiltrate cells. Because a virus is not a living thing in order for it to make new copies of itself, it must break into a living cell and use that cell’s protein-making machinery to manufacture multiple copies of itself. This large-scale production of the virus allows it to spread. When the immune system catches up and the rate of destruction of the virus exceeds production, the virus is eliminated. This can take a week or so and the symptoms can be significant, as we all know. It should be recognized that zinc supplements will not necessarily keep people from “catching a cold,” and they should not be used preventively. Furthermore, not everyone will respond to zinc supplements so talking to a physician is recommended. Also, zinc supplements exceeding the RDA are not suggested as this can lead to a reduction in copper absorption.
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