Zinc may not be a cure for the common cold – but it is an effective treatment, experts report today.
Taken in syrup, lozenges or tablets with 24 hours of symptoms showing up, the mineral helps reduce the severity and length of the illness, according to the analysis.
The analysis, published by the Cochrane Library, reports the findings of 15 trials, involving some 1,360 people.
They showed that after a week people who took zinc were more likely than others to have shed their cold.
The research sheds new light on the effects of zinc, which have been controversial for nearly 30 years.
Researcher Meenu Singh of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, said: "This review strengthens the evidence for zinc as a treatment for the common cold.
"However, at the moment, it is still difficult to make a general recommendation, because we do not know very much about the optimum dose, formulation or length of treatment."
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