Nutrimed Labs: There Is a Cure for the Common Cold

Even though weve been told all our lives that there is no cure for the common cold, Americans still spend about 5.5 billion dollars per year treating their colds...about $3 billion going to the doctor, about $1.5 billion on remedies and another $1 billion on analgesics. Over one billion common colds occur in the United States each year and about 5% of the population will have a cold at any given time. Colds are responsible for about 60 million lost days of school and 50 million lost days of work each year.(1)

Common colds may be caused by over 200 types of viruses, with over 113 types of human rhinoviruses causing the majority of them. Cold symptoms can also be caused by corona, influenza, herpes simplex, respiratory syncytial, coxsackie, parainfluenza, adeno and echo viruses. With such a large number of different viruses that can cause cold symptoms, developing a cold vaccine would be virtually impossible.(2)

Zinc Lozenges Patented as a Cure
Although the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the statement, a specific zinc lozenge formulation has now been patented as a cure for the common cold(US patent 5,409,905).

However, just taking a zinc supplement will not cure a cold, and not all zinc lozenges are effective. Developing this patented formula took years of testing to determine which combinations worked and which did not. Chelating agents, flavorings, pH and even the compression force used in manufacturing can alter the effects of zinc lozenges.

Effective Use of Zinc for Colds
To be effective against the common cold, zinc must be in lozenge form. Tablets and capsules absorbed through the digestive tract will not produce high enough zinc concentrations in nasal tissues to have the same effect. The zinc must be absorbed into oral tissues where it can then diffuse into nasal tissues. Since colds actually begin in the nose and not the mouth, it would seem that a zinc nasal spray might work even better. Researchers thought so too and tried it. Zinc nasal sprays had a mild, temporary decongestant effect, but did not shorten the duration of the cold.(3) Since nasal mucus is constantly being excreted, zinc diffusion into infected tissues against the flow of mucus is difficult if not impossible. When absorbed into oral tissues, positive Zn2+ ions are transported into infected nasal tissues via the biologically closed electric circuit (BCEC) between the mouth and nose.

It is important that the lozenges dissolve slowly to keep the Zn2+ ions in contact with oral tissues long enough to be diffused into the tissues. And for that reason, the lozenge needs to be pleasant-tasting.

Zn2+ Availability
The efficacy of zinc lozenges is dependent upon the availability of positively charged zinc ions (Zn2+). The zinc ions must be positively charged to be effective against colds. Neutral ions have no effect and negatively charged ions may actually result in more severe, longer lasting colds. The patented zinc acetate formula releases 100% of its zinc as positively charged Zn2+ ions.

When highly chelated forms of zinc, such a orotate, aspartate, citrate and amino acid chelates have been used to improve taste and reduce aftertaste, these strong chelators prevented the release of positively charged zinc ions, making these products ineffective.(1,5, 6)

Effects of Zn2+ Ions
Once absorbed into infected nasal tissues, Zn2+ ions inhibit rhinoviral replication and protect cells from rhinoviral attack. Their beneficial effects include:

The most likely explanation for the rapid response to zinc lozenges is membrane stabilization and closing of membrane pores by Zn2+ ions. Pore closure applies to inflammation and mucus producing cells such as mast and goblet cells, and tissues dry quickly.

Discovered By a Three-Year-Old
The zinc lozenge cold cure was first discovered in 1979 when George Eby of Austin, Texas, gave his 3-year old daughter, Karen, a 50 mg. zinc gluconate tablet. Karen had leukemia and her father was giving her high doses of zinc and other nutrients to help rebuild her T-cell immune system after chemotherapy. On this particular day Karen had a severe cold. Since her throat was too sore to swallow the tablet, she tried to chew it, but fell asleep with most of the tablet still in her mouth. When she awoke two hours later, her cold symptoms were gone and there was no relapse.(1,4) The same thing happened when Eby tried the remedy on other family members, friends and co-workers. Then, in 1981, the effectiveness of zinc lozenges was confirmed by a double-blind trial. Zinc gluconate lozenges reduced the average duration of the common cold by seven days.(4)

A British trial produced similar results. Were Original Trials Faulty? When the results of these trials were published, a number of companies began making and selling zinc lozenges for colds...but in further trials, findings were negative. The lozenges did not shorten the duration of colds and in some cases made them last a day or two longer.(l,6) What happened? Zinc gluconate has a chalky taste and an unpleasant aftertaste that may linger for as long as 24 hours. So manufacturers set out to make a better tasting lozenge...by reducing the amount of zinc, using highly chelated forms of zinc, adding sweeteners and flavorings to mask the taste, and adding vitamin C to make it work even better. These changes, designed to improve patient compliance, resulted in products that were ineffective.(1,6) Vitamin C may be taken separately for a cold, but when added to zinc lozenges, it changes the pH and acts as a strong chelator, making the zinc ions unavailable to oral tissues.

Adding sweeteners didn't improve patient compliance either. All sweeteners, with the exception of fructose, react with zinc gluconate over a period of weeks and the taste becomes incredibly bitter. Although fructose doesnt cause bitterness, it doesnt help much. It turns chalky tasting lozenges with a lingering aftertaste into sweet chalky tasting lozenges with a lingering aftertaste.

So it seemed that zinc lozenges could either be effective or they could taste good...not both. Most people just decided that the original studies must have been faulty and zinc lozenges didnt really work, but George Eby and others continued their research. Many other compounds were tried. Those that were highly stable had no effect on colds. Unstable compounds such as zinc gluconate or chloride reacted with their sweeteners and taste bitter. Zinc Acetate Solves the Problem The taste/availability problem was solved with zinc acetate. Zinc acetate does not have the unpleasant taste or offensive lingering aftertaste associated with other highly ionizable zinc compounds. Pleasant tasting zinc acetate lozenges made with sucrose, fructose or dextrose remain flavor-stable for many years when stored in sealed containers. When additional flavoring is used, natural peppermint oil is suggested.(1)

The benefits of zinc acetate go beyond pleasant taste. For example, zinc acetate dihydrate is 29.78% zinc, compared to 13.14% zinc in zinc gluconate and is 3.33 times as ionizable as zinc gluconate at physiologic pH 7.4. With zinc acetate, 100% of the zinc is available as Zn2+ ions. No neutrally charged ions are released.(1) Only compounds such as zinc acetate that release 100% of their zinc at pH 7.4 as Zn2+ ions are believed to be completely non-cytotoxic. Since the positively charged zinc ions decrease cell membrane permeability, additional zinc is not absorbed into the cells and zinc serum levels do not rise.

At the First Sign of a Cold
These patented zinc acetate lozenges are most effective when taken at the first sign of a cold, since most viral replication in common colds occurs either before or within 24 hours after the first symptoms appear. When zinc lozenge therapy is started within the first few minutes or hours, the cold may abort almost immediately. The best thing to do at the first hint of a cold is to take a loading dose (twice the normal dose) of zinc lozenges, one at a time, not all at once, then go to sleep. Since lymph circulation stops during sleep, infected tissues retain more of the zinc then.

Dosage is generally one or two lozenges (one at a time...not two at the same time) every hour to two hours while awake and at bedtime until symptoms are gone. Lozenges should be used after eating or drinking rather than before so that the zinc will not be washed away and it is important to let the lozenges dissolve slowly...don't chew them up.

l. Eby, George A., Handbook for Curing the Common Cold -- The Zinc Lozenge Story, George Eby Research, Austin, TX, 1994.
2. Castleman, M, Cold Cures, Fawcett Columbine, New York, 1987.
3. Bryce-Smith, D., Spray preparations for respiratory tract infections, European Patent Application 381522, August 8, 1990.
4. Eby, George A., Davis, D.R., Halcomb, W.W., Reduction in duration of common colds by zinc gluconate lozenges in a double blind study, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 1984;25:20-24.
5. Eby, George A., Davis, D.R., Halcomb, W.W., Effect of zinc orotate lozenges with zinc gluconate nasal spray in common cold treatment -- a double blind study, Unpublished Data, 1984
6. Zarembo, John E., et. al, Zinc (II) in Saliva: Determination of Concentrations Produced by Different Formulations of Zinc Gluconate Lozenges Containing Common Excipients, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Feb., 1992;81(2):128-130.