Disclaimer : I have not read studies on zinc and covid, and barely some with zinc and flu. My answer assumes that the consensus is that zinc shortens and reduces the severity of the common cold. Also that zinc and covid-19 are not studied
Traditionally, the medical field doesn’t put much energy into studying what self care is effective. It’s rather a field that does it best to outlaw self care.
I think “outlaw” is an exagerration, I would rather say “cautions against”.
From what we know about Zinc lozenges and the flu, they have to be taken at symptoms onset to be effective, so the assumption that the same is true for COVID-19 is not farfetched.
Indeed it is not farfetched to imagine that zinc could have something to do with the immune reaction to viruses. But it is definitely not enough for me to take some.
First random example. Imagine taking zinc increases your immunity to the virus, great. Or is it? I have no idea, because that could also imply that it increases the immune reaction against the virus, causing more damage to the body than the virus itself. That would not occur in common cold studies but would for COVID-19.
Other example : if having zinc at the right place and at the right moment would be a total winner virus-wise, that doesn’t mean that maybe taking zinc supplements too early or late might downregulate some zinc pathways, hindering your immune response. I don’t know them but I guess there is at least one feedback loop in the zinc absorption cycle and disturbing it could lessen the immunity somehow.
My point is : we don’t know. There seems to be evidence that zinc could have something to do with viral response, but that doesn’t mean it helps it. Or if it does for the common cold : that doesn’t mean that it works in the same way for a virus that is not even related and doesn’t kill the same way.
In my opinion, this is why the medical field urges caution towards self care.
(And the fact that if you say zinc could help again covid you know you will have 500 people taking 3 times the lethal dose out of sheer darwinism, so you wait for proper studies.)
Disclaimer : I have not read studies on zinc and covid, and barely some with zinc and flu. My answer assumes that the consensus is that zinc shortens and reduces the severity of the common cold. Also that zinc and covid-19 are not studied
I think “outlaw” is an exagerration, I would rather say “cautions against”.
Indeed it is not farfetched to imagine that zinc could have something to do with the immune reaction to viruses. But it is definitely not enough for me to take some.
First random example. Imagine taking zinc increases your immunity to the virus, great. Or is it? I have no idea, because that could also imply that it increases the immune reaction against the virus, causing more damage to the body than the virus itself. That would not occur in common cold studies but would for COVID-19.
Other example : if having zinc at the right place and at the right moment would be a total winner virus-wise, that doesn’t mean that maybe taking zinc supplements too early or late might downregulate some zinc pathways, hindering your immune response. I don’t know them but I guess there is at least one feedback loop in the zinc absorption cycle and disturbing it could lessen the immunity somehow.
My point is : we don’t know. There seems to be evidence that zinc could have something to do with viral response, but that doesn’t mean it helps it. Or if it does for the common cold : that doesn’t mean that it works in the same way for a virus that is not even related and doesn’t kill the same way.
In my opinion, this is why the medical field urges caution towards self care.
(And the fact that if you say zinc could help again covid you know you will have 500 people taking 3 times the lethal dose out of sheer darwinism, so you wait for proper studies.)