The Surprising Benefits of Zinc Supplementation for the Common Cold

 Zinc and the Common Cold: What You Need to Know

What does zinc do for the body? Zinc is an essential trace element vital for immune function, wound healing, and DNA synthesis. It supports over 300 enzymes and the proper function of immune cells like T-cells and macrophages. Zinc also aids in the production of antibodies that fight infections.

A recent review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that zinc supplements might not prevent colds, but taking zinc at the onset of symptoms can reduce the duration by about two days. This represents a 10-20% decrease in illness length, which is clinically significant.

Takeaways:
1. Zinc element in immunity: vital for immune cell function and enzyme activity, making it crucial in fighting infections.
2. Supplementation: Zinc gluconate and zinc acetate lozenges may effectively reduce cold duration if taken within 24 hours of cold symptoms.
3. Zinc supplementation reduces sick days of the common cold, but does not affect the odds of catching a cold or symptom severity.
4. Zinc deficiency: Can lead to significant health issues, emphasizing the need for adequate intake.

Safety note: Zinc supplements are generally well-tolerated, but high doses can cause nausea and gastrointestinal distress. Do not exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of 40 mg/day regularly for adults without medical supervision.

What zinc should I take? Zinc gluconate and zinc acetate lozenges can be effective for boosting the immune system during colds. They can reduce the duration of symptoms if taken at the onset of illness. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.

Zinc deficiency symptoms:
Weakened immune response
Hair loss
Diarrhea
Delayed wound healing
Loss of appetite
Impaired growth and development in children

Benefits of zinc:
Zinc Benefits For Men: Supports testosterone production, muscle growth, and overall immunity.

Zinc Benefits for Women: Crucial for reproductive health, skin health, and immune function.

Zinc-rich foods:
Red meat
Seafood (especially oysters)
Poultry
Beans
Nuts
Whole grains
Dairy products

Stay informed, stay healthy.

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8543785/
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD014914.pub2/full 

Chapters

• 0:00 Zinc for Treating Common Cold
• 7:39 Zinc for Common Cold Relief

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Hello everyone. Today we're looking at an interesting research topic. This was spurred by the recent publication of a large review paper in the Cochrane database. This topic is one that affects all of us, and it is the common cold. Specifically, we're going to look at the role that zinc might play in treating the common cold. So if that's of interest to you, please subscribe to this channel and stick around the latter half of this short video to catch the exact protocol and the form of zinc that's been suggested to help reduce sick days when infected with the common cold. Before I go any further, I must preface with the disclaimer that this video is being generated purely for educational purposes. The contents of this video do not constitute medical advice and they're not meant to substitute for standard medical practice. Please consult with your primary healthcare practitioner before beginning any nutrition or supplement-based protocols that we might go over here today.

Speaker 0: 0:57

Now, with that out of the way, some backstory. Colds are frequent. They affect children and adults multiple times a year. Children average between six and ten colds annually, while adults average between two and four colds annually. The high frequency makes the common cold an actual issue. It impacts work productivity, school attendance, our ability to exercise and so on.

Speaker 0: 1:22

Now enter zinc. Zinc is an essential trace mineral with no specialized amount of storage in the body. In fact, the human body only stores approximately 1.5 and 2.5 grams in total. Those values are for men and women respectively. What that means is that we need a regular intake of zinc to maintain health. Zinc is naturally present in foods like red meat and seafood, and can be fortified in cereals or taken as an over-the-counter supplement. The supplemental form of zinc is really what we're going to be focusing on in this short video. Now, globally, 31% of people are at risk for zinc deficiency, and that's quite substantial, considering zinc, as an essential mineral, binds to about 10% of all proteins in the human body. Zinc deficiency impacts various bodily functions, including immune function. This is the case even under circumstances of what's called a marginal deficiency, that's when zinc intake isn't meeting the body's demand. As such, the body is in a net loss of zinc over the course of the day, and this can trigger changes at the cellular level that wouldn't necessarily result in anything clinically observable, unless that continued and then turned into some sort of functional deficit that would become observable to a clinician.

Speaker 0: 2:42

So how does zinc relate to the common cold? Well, zinc is believed to potentially help with colds through two main mechanisms. Firstly, zinc may improve immune function through a bunch of fancy mechanisms that I'm not going to touch on in this video so much, but there is enough evidence showing zinc's role in primary antioxidant enzyme function, along with its ability to trigger the development of and maintain function of very important immune cells like T cells. Zinc is also necessary for the functioning of enzymes that produce antibodies that fight infections. There's enough information out there for clinicians and researchers alike to agree that zinc is vital for immune function and fighting infections. The second mechanism is that zinc may interfere with the binding and replication of cold viruses. That prevents them from spreading and infecting cells. That's important to remember as it's highly relevant to the administration form and the type of zinc that we're going to be talking about in a little bit.

Speaker 0: 3:46

Now the research I'd mentioned. A comprehensive review that was published in the Cochrane database of systematic reviews aimed to assess the effectiveness and the safety of zinc for both prevention and treating the common cold. The review itself included 34 studies that spanned over 8,000 participants from different countries. The studies examined zinc in different forms as well as different dosages. The findings were as follows For prevention, zinc supplementation was found to have little to no effect on reducing the risk of catching a cold. However, when it comes to treatment, zinc taken at the onset of symptoms may reduce duration of a cold by approximately two days. Your first thought might be two days doesn't seem like that much, but you do have to view it through a clinical lens. A common cold can last anywhere from seven to ten days, and a 10 to 20 percent reduction in the length of illness is enough to be noticed by someone with the common cold and from a clinical perspective, that's considered a valuable benefit. Now this is really important.

Speaker 0: 4:59

Zinc supplements exist in several forms, such as zinc gluconate, zinc sulfate, zinc acetate, zinc carnosine and zinc picolinate. Each of those have different bioavailabilities. Zinc also comes in different delivery formats, including lozenges, tablets, syrups and nasal sprays. Each format might actually affect the body differently. For the purpose of cold treatment, for instance, lozenges dissolve in the mouth, potentially coating the throat and inhibiting viral replication right where the cold viruses often enter, as zinc is locally available to disrupt the replication of viral RNA along with other viral proteins. Most of the data that shows a benefit of zinc supplementation for treating colds used zinc in the format of a lozenge with zinc gluconate and acetate being the two most used forms of zinc. The doses ranged from 45 to 276 milligrams per day for between 4.5 to 21 days.

Speaker 0: 6:02

Now the protocol that was used in some cases and that's suggested by some clinicians, is to take a zinc lozenge in the first 24 hours that cold symptoms present, and then take another lozenge in the first 24 hours that cold symptoms present, and then take another lozenge every two to three hours until symptoms start to subside. Will that result in a large intake of zinc? Yes, it will. Is that advised to do for a long period of time? No, not at all. That will obviously result in zinc intakes above the upper limit of 40 milligrams per day in adults, but the use of zinc at daily doses of 50 to 180 milligrams for one to two weeks has not resulted in serious side effects. That's per a meta-analysis that was published in 2012. Obviously, it's important to only take in doses of zinc like that if actually ill with a common cold and starting at lower end of the range. Also, keep in mind that high doses of zinc without the intake of other important nutrients can result in deficiencies like copper deficiencies, since they both compete for transport in the intestines.

Speaker 0: 7:05

Now, bad taste and nausea were the most frequent adverse effects reported in the therapeutic trials that I'm referencing here adverse effects reported in the therapeutic trials that I'm referencing here. In terms of safety, zinc supplementation was generally well tolerated, though it did cause some non-serious side effects like gastrointestinal distress. This is very common with zinc supplementation, but especially when taking higher doses and on an empty stomach. In fact, I'd suggest, anytime you supplement zinc, no matter the dose, that you don't do so on an empty stomach. You'll thank me later.

Speaker 0: 7:39

The takeaway here is that, while zinc might not prevent colds, it could potentially shorten the duration of illness if taken at the onset of a cold. However, it's important to approach this with realistic expectations and the awareness of the potential for minor side effects. Given the frequency and the impact of common colds, any reduction in incidence, duration or severity would be a public health benefit. Zinc does remain a popular supplement for this very purpose, but uncertainty does surround its overall effectiveness and the best forms and dosages to use. Now, if you listen to this until the end, I thank you for your attention and your patience. I do hope you found this information somewhat insightful and somewhat useful. Until next time, stay healthy.