Battle Common Cold With Zinc

Image via WikipediaI take public transportation to work, and get a daily dousing of sneezing and hacking from fellow commuters. For that reason, I'm always on the lookout for any interventions that will keep me healthy or shorten the duration of anything contagious that I might contract.

This Washington Post article caught my eye, Got a cold? Think zinc, report concludes.

In summary:

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. People taking zinc are also less likely to have persistence of their cold symptoms beyond seven days of treatment. Zinc supplementation for at least five months reduces incidence, school absenteeism and prescription of antibiotics for children with the common cold.

Reference:
Singh M, Das RR. Zinc for the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD001364. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001364.pub3.

Something fun! You can catch (get) a cold too:  COMMON COLD GIANT MICROBE PLUSH

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