Zinc and common cold
An adequate supply of zinc is essential to maintain the integrity of
the immune system. While the body's demand for Zinc is higher when the
immune system has been activated, even a slight deficiency has been
associated with a limited immune response and thus with an increased
susceptibility to infections.
Zinc products are especially popular as a form of self-medication in
patients suffering from infections such as colds. Various
placebo-controlled studies, in which zinc in 13 mg doses was
administered every 2 to 3 hours when the first symptoms of an infection
were noticed, showed that taking zinc has resulted in a significantly
shorter period of illness.
Although various general studies and meta-analyses have found that the data of the randomised clinical studies published to date do not show sufficient evidence of a shorter illness period in patients suffering from a cold if they took only Zinc, taking Zinc within the first 24 hours after catching a cold can reduce the seriousness of the symptoms.
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