Now that cold and flu season is upon us, it’s time to revisit the role of certain nutrients in reducing cold symptoms. There have been many studies showing the benefit of zinc in reducing cold symptoms. But, there are still skeptics because some studies have failed to show a positive effect. A recent review of these studies conducted by researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland have found that there was an important difference between the studies showing a benefit compared to those showing no benefit – the daily dose of zinc. The daily dose of zinc in the positive studies was 75 mg of zinc per day or greater. Anything less did not yield any significant reduction in cold symptoms.
Open Respir Med J 2011;5:51-8.
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