With cold and flu season here , it’s time to restock the medicine cabinet. A new study shows you might want to throw zinc in there as well. Researchers in Australia found that zinc supplements “appear to help shorten respiratory tract infections, such as colds, flu, sinusitis and pneumonia.” Looking at two dozen clinical trials that included more than 5,400 adults, researchers found that people who took zinc saw symptoms clear up two days earlier than those who took a placebo. The authors of the study also noted that, “Patients who used nasal spray or sublingual zinc were nearly twice as likely to recover during the first week of illness as those who used a placebo.” Some uncertainty remains in terms of dosage, but Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, “The usual recommendation is 25 mg of zinc daily.”
Source-UPI
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