Zinc For Colds Is It Effective And How Much To Take

  references
  
      The Journal of Family Practice: "Zinc for the Common Cold—Not If, But When"
    
      Mayo Clinic: "Zinc for Colds: The Final Word?"
    
      National Institutes of Health: "Zinc Fact Sheet for Health Professionals"
    
      Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Zinc"
    
      National Academies of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering: "Fruits and Vegetables Yield Less Vitamin A Than Previously Thought; Upper Limit Set for Daily Intake of Vitamin A and Nine Other Nutrients"
    
      Open Forum Infectious Diseases: "Zinc Acetate Lozenges May Improve the Recovery Rate of Common Cold Patients: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis"
    
      U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Drug Label Information: Cold-Eeze Zinc Gluconate Lozenge"
    
      Mayo Clinic: "Cold remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, What Can't Hurt"
    
      Journal of International Medical Research: " A combination of high-dose vitamin C plus zinc for the common cold"
    
      NIH: "Zinc"
    




The key is to take zinc right away — before the cold truly sets in.

Image Credit: dragana991/iStock/GettyImages

Image Credit: dragana991/iStock/GettyImages

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for zinc is 11 milligrams for adult men and 8 milligrams for adult women, per the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The RDA for pregnant or breastfeeding people increases to 11 and 12 milligrams, respectively. The upper limit for zinc is 40 milligrams for adults.

The upper limit for zinc is 40 milligrams for adults.

Remember, with lozenges, you’ll want to let the lozenge dissolve (and not chew it) for the best results.

      The Journal of Family Practice: "Zinc for the Common Cold—Not If, But When"
    
      Mayo Clinic: "Zinc for Colds: The Final Word?"
    
      National Institutes of Health: "Zinc Fact Sheet for Health Professionals"
    
      Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Zinc"
    
      National Academies of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering: "Fruits and Vegetables Yield Less Vitamin A Than Previously Thought; Upper Limit Set for Daily Intake of Vitamin A and Nine Other Nutrients"
    
      Open Forum Infectious Diseases: "Zinc Acetate Lozenges May Improve the Recovery Rate of Common Cold Patients: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis"
    
      U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Drug Label Information: Cold-Eeze Zinc Gluconate Lozenge"
    
      Mayo Clinic: "Cold remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, What Can't Hurt"
    
      Journal of International Medical Research: " A combination of high-dose vitamin C plus zinc for the common cold"
    
      NIH: "Zinc"