GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The cold season is here, but have no fear: A recent study reveals a certain vitamin may shorten your suffering.
The study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine concludes taking a certain type of zinc at a certain dosage can curb the duration of the common cold.
“The thing that you do have to be careful (about) though is which type of Zinc that you buy,” cautioned Dr. Rosemary Olivero, Spectrum Health’s section chief of infectious disease.
The study released in May states taking 75 mg a day of zinc gluconate or zinc acetate will shorten a cold by as many as three days.
“That means that maybe you could get back to work sooner, your kids may be back in school sooner and you may just feel better sooner,” said Olivero.
Olivero said cold sufferers whose illness was shortened by taking zinc gluconate or zinc acetate were also less likely to go to the doctor and get an antibiotic.
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