Zinc's role in sore throat treatmentThe Effectiveness of a Dietary Supplement with Honey, Propolis, Extract, and Zinc in Children Affected by Acute Tonsillopharyngitis: An Open, Randomized, and Controlled Trial.
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We evaluated a promising dietary supplement that combines honey, propolis, and zinc to see how effective it could be for children suffering from acute tonsillopharyngitis, a type of sore throat. In this open-label, randomized, and controlled study, we compared the supplement along with standard care against standard care alone over six days.
The results revealed that incorporating the supplement with standard care led to notable improvements in certain symptoms associated with sore throat, such as throat pain and swallowing difficulties by day four and six. Although zinc was part of the blend, it was challenging to pinpoint its independent effect, given that it was studied alongside honey and propolis.
Interestingly, only one child in the standard care group needed additional medications like ibuprofen, highlighting that the supplement may reduce the need for further treatment. Importantly, we did not report any adverse events, making this combination a potential safe addition to treatment.
Overall, while the study presents encouraging results regarding the adjunctive use of the supplement in treating sore throat, it remains unclear how much zinc alone contributes to its effectiveness.