Life Desk :
You wink, it’s raining; you wink again and it’s sunny outside. Such weather wreaks havoc on our health, with most around us sneezing and coughing. You might rely on ginger syrup and your tulsi-ginger tea cuppas to get rid of your bouts of cold.
However, studies now claim for an ingredient which can help to get rid of your cold and flu faster than anything else: Zinc!
Zinc is now being proclaimed to be a very effective way to fight common cold. Taking zinc within 24 hours of starting of cold symptoms helps to shorten the duration of the cold. A study was conducted at University of Helsinki where a bunch of sniffling people were divided into two. One bunch was given zinc lozenges (diamond-shaped zinc tablet for cold) while the other bunch was given some other form of medication. The ones who took zinc had their cold’s duration shortened by 40 per cent.
Cold is caused by rhinovirus and according to a research, zinc works by stopping this virus from multiplying. It also helps to stop the rhinovirus from lodging in the mucous membranes of the throat and nose.
80 mg of zinc is required to reduce the symptoms of a cold. Spinach, kidney beans, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds are sources of zinc but you will have to eat a lot of these to get the required amount of zinc during cold, so opting for supplements is easier. Though the upper safe limit for zinc consumption in a day is 40 mg but the amount can be exceeded over 40 mg till the time you have cold. One zinc tablet every three hours is safe as more than that can depress your immune system.
Including zinc in your everyday diet might reduce the number of colds every year. On a regular basis, we need 8 mg of it per day.
The above has been tested true by various studies, however, there can be side effects of taking zinc tablets, such as follo ws.
· Some unpleasant side effects can be vomiting, foul taste in your mouth, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
· Zinc can interact with your other medicines.
· Using zinc in the form of nasal spray may make you lose your sense of smell.
– Zinc can only shorten the duration and not ease or prevent the symptoms.
You wink, it’s raining; you wink again and it’s sunny outside. Such weather wreaks havoc on our health, with most around us sneezing and coughing. You might rely on ginger syrup and your tulsi-ginger tea cuppas to get rid of your bouts of cold.
However, studies now claim for an ingredient which can help to get rid of your cold and flu faster than anything else: Zinc!
Zinc is now being proclaimed to be a very effective way to fight common cold. Taking zinc within 24 hours of starting of cold symptoms helps to shorten the duration of the cold. A study was conducted at University of Helsinki where a bunch of sniffling people were divided into two. One bunch was given zinc lozenges (diamond-shaped zinc tablet for cold) while the other bunch was given some other form of medication. The ones who took zinc had their cold’s duration shortened by 40 per cent.
Cold is caused by rhinovirus and according to a research, zinc works by stopping this virus from multiplying. It also helps to stop the rhinovirus from lodging in the mucous membranes of the throat and nose.
80 mg of zinc is required to reduce the symptoms of a cold. Spinach, kidney beans, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds are sources of zinc but you will have to eat a lot of these to get the required amount of zinc during cold, so opting for supplements is easier. Though the upper safe limit for zinc consumption in a day is 40 mg but the amount can be exceeded over 40 mg till the time you have cold. One zinc tablet every three hours is safe as more than that can depress your immune system.
Including zinc in your everyday diet might reduce the number of colds every year. On a regular basis, we need 8 mg of it per day.
The above has been tested true by various studies, however, there can be side effects of taking zinc tablets, such as follo ws.
· Some unpleasant side effects can be vomiting, foul taste in your mouth, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
· Zinc can interact with your other medicines.
· Using zinc in the form of nasal spray may make you lose your sense of smell.
– Zinc can only shorten the duration and not ease or prevent the symptoms.
-TNN
