The study, which encompassed 15 different randomized, controlled trials of nearly 1,400 people, compared the results of cold medicine containing zinc to a placebo without zinc.
The researchers concluded that participants who took a liquid or solid drug containing zinc had less severe cold symptoms for shorter periods than those who took the placebo.
“Zinc (lozenges or syrup) is beneficial in reducing the duration and severity of the common cold in healthy people, when taken within 24 hours of onset of symptoms,” wrote researchers Meenu Singh and Rashmi Das of the Department of Pediatrics at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India.
There is no proven cure for the common cold, mostly caused by rhinovirus infection, and it is one of the leading causes of doctor visits and absences from school and work.
Read More: Theepochtimes