Zinc Works, but Exerts Price in Fight Against Colds, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Study

MedPageToday -- Although zinc may be helpful in treating and preventing the common cold in otherwise healthy individuals, the benefits come at the expense of some side effects, a Cochrane review showed. In an analysis of trials conducted since 1984, zinc reduced the average duration of cold symptoms by nearly a day when taken within 24 hours of symptom onset, and also eased symptom severity (P<0.05), according to Meenu Singh, MD, and Rashmi Das, MD, of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India.