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White Plains, New York, October 19, 2017 — In the U.S., mild zinc deficiency is fairly common. Zinc supplements can help to correct a deficiency, slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration, and have other benefits. Taken as a lozenge, zinc can shorten the duration of a cold. But which but which products on the market provide the dose and forms of zinc shown to work in clinical studies, and which provide the best value?

To find out, ConsumerLab.com carefully reviewed the clinical evidence and purchased and tested popular zinc supplements, including lozenges, crystals, powders, liquids and tablets sold in the U.S. and Canada. Although many high-quality zinc supplements were identified, there were significant differences in suggested daily doses (5 mg to 138 mg) and cost (1 cent to over $3 for an equivalent dose). Surprisingly, some popular zinc lozenges did not contain the dosage and/or forms of zinc which have been clinically shown to help shorten a cold.

ConsumerLab.com's findings are available online in its new Zinc Supplements Review which includes CL's Top Picks for Zinc Supplements, Zinc Lozenges, and for Other Orally Dissolving Zinc Formulations based on the results of the tests, clinical relevance of product formulations, and price.

The new Review summarizes the clinical evidence for zinc lozenges and supplements and the best way to take zinc to treat a cold, including how much, how often, and for how long zinc lozenges should be taken. It explains dosages for other uses, such as correcting a deficiency and slowing age-related macular degeneration, and differences between forms of zinc, including zinc gluconate, zinc acetate, zinc sulfate and zinc citrate. The Review also examines the clinical evidence for and against the "zinc taste test," which is promoted as an easy test to detect zinc deficiency, as well as safety concerns with zinc lozenges and supplements, such as potential side effects and drug interactions.

Included in the review are test results and quality comparisons for 19 supplements, including 16 selected for testing by ConsumerLab.com and three that passed the same testing through CL's voluntary Quality Certification Program, plus information about one product that is similar to another that passed testing. Products covered in the review are: Bronson Laboratories Zinc Lozenges, Cold-Eeze - All Natural Cherry Flavor, Designs for Health Zinc Challenge, Dr. Mercola Zinc Complex, Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Zinc, GNC Zinc 30 mg, KAL Dinosaurs Zinc Elderberry - Mixed Berries, Natural Factors Zinc Citrate, Nature Made VitaMelts Zinc - Honey Lemon, Nature's Plus Source of Life Animal Parade® Kid Zinc - Natural Tangerine Flavor, Nature's Way Zinc Lozenges Echinacea & Vitamin C, NOW Zinc 50 mg, Pure Encapsulations Zinc 15, Shaklee Zinc Complex, Swanson Zinc (Gluconate), Up & Up [Target] Zinc Cold Remedy, Vitacost Zinc 50 mg, Zand Lemon Zinc Herbalozenge, and Zicam Cold Remedy Ultra Crystals - Berry Lemonade Flavor.

Founded in 1999, ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. Membership to ConsumerLab.com is available online and provides immediate access to reviews of more than 1,000 products from over 400 brands. The company is privately held and based in Westchester, New York. It has no ownership from, or interest in, companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell consumer products.



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