Study finds zinc effective against common cold, but debate continues
People who begin using zinc lozenges, tablets or syrup at the first signs of a cold are more likely to get well faster, researchers reported. But the new findings probably will be the last word on the issue, which has been the subject of back-and-forth debate since the idea was first proposed in 1984. When a zinc acetate formulation is taken in a high enough dose and started early in the onset of a cold, it\'s likely to be effective, said Dr. Ananda Prasad, an expert on zinc at Wayne State University who conducted two studies, both of which showed a positive effect. \"In our studies, we only included patients who had (begun) symptoms within 24 hours,\" he said. \"If you don\'t take zinc within 24 hours, it does not have much effect.\"
