Zinc Questions

S

spiff1242

White Belt
Joined
Jul 23, 2003
Messages
98
Reaction score
0
So I'm sure most of you have heard about zinc lozenges (like Cold Eeze) for helping you to get over colds faster. The packages always say that you need to suck on these lozenges, not swallow, to get the benefit from the zinc.
So my question is, I have these Z-Mass PM pills (a popular ZMA supplement), the ones that you are supposed to swallow, and I'm wondering why the zinc in these tablets can be absorbed by swallowing them.
Also, I do feel a cold coming on right now (that's the reason I thought of these questions) and was wondering if taking a few of these ZMA pills would be as effective as taking some Cold-Eeze?
Finally, what are some natural whole foods that have lots of zinc in them?
Thanks a lot!
 
spiff1242 said:
Finally, what are some natural whole foods that have lots of zinc in them?
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

oysters; fish; raw wheatgerm; meat; mushrooms; brewer's yeast; pumpkin seeds; egg yolk; dried legumes; milk; ground mustard seeds.

As for the diff between the ZMA and the lozenges, is that it might be different types of zinc.
 
try swallowing 1-2 egg yolks a day..

also, lozenges have other stuff in em.. to soothe ur throat.. oral zinc is just zinc.. i wouldn't take more than 60mg a day though for more than a few days.. 30mg should be optimal :wink:
 
supersudo said:
try swallowing 1-2 egg yolks a day..

also, lozenges have other stuff in em.. to soothe ur throat.. oral zinc is just zinc.. i wouldn't take more than 60mg a day though for more than a few days.. 30mg should be optimal :wink:
Click to expand...
Whats wrong with taking more then 60 mg a day?
 
Soid said:
Whats wrong with taking more then 60 mg a day?
Click to expand...
i just like to be safe not to overdose in it.. studies show more than 300mg a day will impair immune system.. others 100mg.. so i say 60mg is a good "safe" zone to be in :D

actually 30mg would be the "safest" though :wink:
 
I believe the idea of zinc lozenges is that the zinc binds to the virus receptors in your throat, thus slowing the cold's growth. Thats why you need to suck on it slowly and not swallow it, so the zinc concentrated in the lozenge doesn't all just slip into your stomach.

So the answer to your question is no, pills are not the same and would most likey not help a cold.
 
I saw a study that said zinc lozenges work because they taste funny. They gave people zinc lozenges, and another pill that tasted funny, plus two groups that had zinc orally ingested and then one that did nothing. The people with the odd tasting pills both were cured faster than the other two groups.

The point of the study was to see if the "ritual" of the cure had anything to do with how much it cured the person. People taking more pills a day, or people sucking on odd tasting pills both were cured faster, regardless of the actual treatment. I guess if the treatment is a big deal, you think "this better work since I'm doing....." and then it does. Many of the treatments didn't work if the person went through a very small ritual, which is very interesting. A real working drug should work whether the person knows they are taking it or not.

As far as the receptor thing in the throat, I don't think that is true.
 
Soid said:
Whats wrong with taking more then 60 mg a day?
Click to expand...

intakes over 100mg per day causes diarrhea, nausea, cramps, vomiting, and depressed immune funtions.
(sports supplement review 4th Issue, V Andrich)
 
yea dont overload on zinc.. anyway for cold killers, try emergen-c

works like a beauty
 
Yes, the theory is/was that zinc impairs the virus from functioning properly, and the zinc exposure to the virus had to be in the throat (thus, the cough drops w/zinc). I tried this stuff a couple of times and found no difference.

IMO - the best thing to get rid of a cold: rest, soup, hot tea.
 
I'm gonna bump this old thread.

What kind of zinc is best to supplement with?

Zinc Citrate, Zinc Gluconate?
 
monkey roll said:
intakes over 100mg per day causes diarrhea, nausea, cramps, vomiting, and depressed immune funtions.
(sports supplement review 4th Issue, V Andrich)
Click to expand...


is that irrespective of training....and...umm.....'outgoing' zinc sources?


:redface:
 
I think supplementing with ZMA is more than enough (30mg of Zinc). The zinc used in that is in the form of monomethionine and aspartate. Most athletes can use magnesium anyway and ZMA is fairly inexpensive compared to a lot of supplements.
 
MikeMartial said:
If not as ZMA, (which has zinc monomethionine aspartate), then zinc picolinate.

A good short article on zinc.
Click to expand...

I found some Zinc monomethionine w/ copper. But I just read in the vitamin dictionary that zinc inhibits copper absorption and vice versa. So is this combo worthless?
 
Probably not optimal, Sonny.

I don't worry too much about Zinc. I eat plenty of red meat. I'm more concerned about calcium since I try to avoid milk. I put yogurt in my shakes and eat cottage cheese with nuts and fruit, but I still think Calmag better suits me than ZMA.
 
Monger said:
I think supplementing with ZMA is more than enough (30mg of Zinc). The zinc used in that is in the form of monomethionine and aspartate. Most athletes can use magnesium anyway and ZMA is fairly inexpensive compared to a lot of supplements.
Click to expand...



I get zinc via ZMA and through my multi

edit-as zinc citrate from my multi
 
Madmick said:
Probably not optimal, Sonny.

I don't worry too much about Zinc. I eat plenty of red meat. I'm more concerned about calcium since I try to avoid milk. I put yogurt in my shakes and eat cottage cheese with nuts and fruit, but I still think Calmag better suits me than ZMA.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mick!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,949
Messages
55,456,823
Members
174,787
Latest member
Freddie556

Share this page

Back
Top