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Zicam® advertises heavily during the cold weather months that its product will shorten the duration of colds. But there's much more behind the story than the rah-rah ads tell you.
The FDA warned that this is not true:
What should consumers know about homeopathic products?
Products labeled as homeopathic and currently marketed in the U.S. have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety and effectiveness to diagnose, treat, cure, prevent or mitigate any diseases or conditions.
And in 2015, the FDA published this on their website ( click here for the full statement on the FDA.gov website ):
A similar OTC cold remedy, Zicam® (Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. NJ) states that each lozenge contains Zincum aceticum and Zincum gluconicum at "2X",2 representing a dilution of 1 to 102 (1:100), or 1% concentration. What consumer-or health professional-knows what this nomenclature or dose information means? In this case the drug label provides no useful information to an average consumer or clinician. And those who can interpret the concentration still won't know how many milligrams of zinc are in the product.
Although zinc is an essential element, excessive zinc can can suppress copper and iron absorption and cause other toxic effects. 3 Adverse effects caused by some Zicam® products have resulted in litigation4 and an FDA Warning Letter5 to this company.
The Mayo Clinic says that is uncertain and debated, and if it does shorten colds, it is does not shorten them by much, for example, to 20 days instead of 21 days... :
There's been a lot of talk about taking zinc for colds ever since a 1984 study showed that zinc supplements kept people from getting as sick. Since then, research has turned up mixed results about zinc and colds.
Recently an analysis of several studies showed that zinc lozenges or syrup reduced the length of a cold by one day, especially when taken within 24 hours of the first signs and symptoms of a cold.
OK, so 1 day less is still better, right? Maybe...if it really did.. BUT The Mayo Clinic goes on to say:
None of the studies analyzed had enough participants to meet a high standard of proof. Also, the studies used different zinc dosages and preparations (lozenges or syrup) for different lengths of time. As a result, it's not clear what the effective dose and treatment schedule would be.
LiveScience says:
Sadly, none of this suggests that zinc sprays or lozenges even cure a cold. Studies have been mixed, with the majority lending no support for zinc-based cold therapy.
Funny, they don't mention side effects in their commercials. Like possibly losing your sense of smell.
The Mayo Clinic:
Zinc - especially in lozenge form - also has side effects, including nausea or a bad taste in the mouth. Many people who used zinc nasal sprays suffered a permanent loss of smell.
In 2009, the FDA warned consumers about Zicam:
June 16, 2009: FDA is alerting consumers that Zicam® Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam® Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam® Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size, a discontinued product that consumers may still have in their homes, have all been associated with long lasting or permanent loss of smell (referred to as anosmia).
The makers of Zicam® were sued and had to pay consumers. See details of the lawsuit here . Other legal actions are apparently still pending. .
It sure doesn't look like zinc, in any form, is worth the risks, and zinc-containing products aren't worth it! The nasal spray has been removed from the market. Do you really want to try the lozenge version?
So concludes Consumer Reports in "6 Reasons Not to Take Zinc for Your Cold, This supplement isn't worth the money or the risk of side effects" By Lauren Cooper, January 26, 2016
In June 2009, however, the FDA issued an advisory cautioning consumers not to use Zicam® brand nasal gel and nasal swabs because the agency "has received more than 130 reports of loss of sense of smell associated with the use of these Zicam® products." The FDA also issued a warning to Matrixx informing the company that it could no longer market the specified nasal products until those products have been subjected to safety testing and FDA approval.
In response, Matrixx issued a statement asserting that its products are safe and that the FDA's actions were unwarranted. Nevertheless, it has withdrawn the products in question from the market.
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