--- title: Is Zinc Good for Colds? description: Some research shows zinc supplements can work against cold symptoms, but they often come with side effects. canonical: https://time.com/7160904/zinc-for-colds-supplement/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-11-01T13:15:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-10T23:03:17.150Z article:section: Health og:title: Is Zinc Good for Colds? og:description: Maybe—but it comes with drawbacks. og:url: https://time.com/7160904/zinc-for-colds-supplement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7572dcde47bc770/698a994b1868927cc56cee93/zinc-tablets.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2119 og:image:height: 1192 og:image:alt: Effervescent tablet and glass of water og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is Zinc Good for Colds? twitter:description: Maybe—but it comes with drawbacks. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7572dcde47bc770/698a994b1868927cc56cee93/zinc-tablets.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is Zinc Good for Colds? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=9f6d30f1-b1fb-4c89-9f50-8bed630b113a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=9f6d30f1-b1fb-4c89-9f50-8bed630b113a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=9f6d30f1-b1fb-4c89-9f50-8bed630b113a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 1, 2024 1:15 PM UTC  Effervescent tablet and glass of water on a yellow background.Studio shot Effervescent tablet and glass of water on a yellow background.Studio shotFrancesco Carta fotografo—Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 1, 2024 1:15 PM UTC There’s no proven cure for a cold, but many people have [remedies](https://time.com/5446498/does-echinacea-work/) they swear by when they’re feeling under the weather. (Chicken soup or citrus fruit, anyone?) One common strategy is taking tablets or lozenges that contain zinc, a natural mineral that [helps the immune system](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/) fight back against bacteria and viruses. But many experts don’t recommend that people pop zinc tablets at the first sign of a sniffle. Dr. Katharine DeGeorge, a family-medicine physician at the University of Virginia who has [studied cold remedies](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0901/p281.html), is one of them. “Some people might benefit,” she says. “But that comes at a cost—a monetary cost, and a risk of adverse events, too.” Zinc users do have some science to back their decision. [Some research suggests](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15496046/) that zinc may stop the cold virus from binding to cells in the body and copying itself, potentially shortening the length of an illness. (Some scientists [have researched](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8438509/) whether zinc has the same effect against other viruses, such as those that cause flu and COVID-19, but there’s not much data to back that hypothesis, says Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of infectious disease at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.) Adults who start taking roughly 80 mg of zinc per day within 24 hours of getting a cold feel better faster than those who don’t use zinc, [some studies](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25888289/) suggest. **Read More**: [_8 Signs You’re in Perimenopause_](https://time.com/7019600/perimenopause-signs-symptoms/) A recent [Cochrane review article](https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD014914.pub2/full) affirmed that finding, based on an analysis of 34 previously published studies on zinc and colds. The authors didn’t find evidence that taking zinc proactively can prevent a cold, but they did find some proof that taking it while sick speeds up recovery by about two days. Fewer sick days sounds great, right? Not so fast, says Daryl Nault, an assistant professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health and co-author of the Cochrane review article. She and her fellow researchers rated their results as “low-certainty” because the studies in the review were all over the map, covering different forms and doses of zinc and designed with varying levels of scientific rigor. “We don’t truly have enough evidence to draw a conclusive finding from it,” she says. “At best, we saw that it is _possible_ that it _could_ reduce the average duration of a cold by a couple days.” But, DeGeorge says, not everyone benefits from taking zinc, and it frequently causes side effects such as an upset stomach, headaches, and a bad aftertaste. Taking zinc in high enough doses for it to be effective—around 80 mg per day, according to studies on the subject—raises the likelihood of experiencing these symptoms, she says. “At a certain point, you’re replacing the symptoms of your cold” with new ones, Nault says. There may be instances when dealing with those side effects is worth it—if you have a vacation coming up and want to get better before you leave, for example. (In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [lists zinc](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2024/preparing/complementary-and-integrative) as a potential tool for travelers.) But other times, she says, you may be just as well off hunkering down and riding out your cold symptoms. **Read More**: [_Does Text Therapy Really Work?_](https://time.com/7014816/does-text-therapy-work/) People who take very high doses of zinc for a prolonged period of time can also experience [a range of complications](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/)—including neurological issues and, ironically, getting sick more often. Taking a product marketed for cold relief for the limited period of time you have symptoms shouldn’t put you in danger of serious complications, DeGeorge says, but don’t go overboard. And the Mayo Clinic says never to [use nasal sprays](https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-zinc/art-20366112) that contain zinc, as they can damage your sense of smell. (These products are rare anyway, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [told consumers to stop using them](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/health/policy/17nasal.html) in 2009.) Given zinc’s uncertain benefits and potential drawbacks, Gulick says he doesn’t routinely recommend it to his patients. People who want to ease their symptoms are probably better off with over-the-counter drugs such as decongestants and sore-throat lozenges, he says. DeGeorge also says she typically recommends that people save their money and avoid zinc side effects by focusing on the fundamentals: staying home, getting plenty of rest, and drinking lots of fluids. A cold “is going to go away on its own no matter what you do,” she says. “It’s going to suck for a week, but it’s okay.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7160904/zinc-for-colds-supplement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7160904/zinc-for-colds-supplement/"},"headline":"Is Zinc Good for Colds?","datePublished":"2024-11-01T13:15:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-10T23:03:17.150Z","description":"Maybe—but it comes with drawbacks.","url":"https://time.com/7160904/zinc-for-colds-supplement/","keywords":["Wellness","Evergreen","healthscienceclimate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7572dcde47bc770/698a994b1868927cc56cee93/zinc-tablets.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7572dcde47bc770/698a994b1868927cc56cee93/zinc-tablets.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Effervescent tablet and glass of water","caption":"Effervescent tablet and glass of water","creditText":"Francesco Carta fotografo—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/wellness/","name":"Wellness"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7160904/zinc-for-colds-supplement/","name":"Is Zinc Good for Colds?"}}]}] ```