When everyone at the office starts complaining of a sore throat, what can you do to protect yourself from the inevitable? CitySlim’s solution: Sugar-Free COLD-EEZE® Zinc Lozenges.    SUGAR FREE COLD-EEZE® LOZENGES are designed for health conscious consumers looking to limit their calorie and carbohydrate intake.

   These Lozenges contain Isomalt, a sugar alcohol that contains about half the calories of sugar and other carbohydrates.[i] (Isomalt is not a sugar replacement and although it is called a sugar alcohol, it does not contain any alcohol.)   

   I personally tried COLD-EEZE® Zinc Lozenges after learning about how Zinc is purported to assist in treating the common cold by inhibiting the proliferation of rhinovirus. The claims, and supporting research, were intriguing. As a scientist, I invested in a pack of the Sugar-Free Lemon-Lime variety from my local supermarket and stocked up my ammunition so I would be ready to fight a future cold. When my cousin recently came to spend the week with me, forgetting to mention her sore throat and incessant cough, I began to get nervous. By our fifth day together, I almost panicked when I felt my throat getting scratchy and my glands starting to swell. Reaching into my kitchen cabinet, I lunged for my lozenges and made her take one with me.               

   The lemony flavor was strong, followed by a slight, but tolerable, metallic taste lingering on the tongue. I did not mind the overall flavor and could almost think of it as a candy, minus the slight zinc-y essence.  My cousin felt the same. We continued to take two lozenges a day for our remaining three days together. Fortunately, whether or not due to the zinc, I did not end up getting sick. Her symptoms subsided by the end of the week.

   Bottom line: Overall, I can say we are both sold on the COLD-EEZE®  and would definitely take the lozenges again when necessary.

   Caloric Information:

• Each Sugar Free Cold-Eeze Lozenge contains:
  . 2.24g of carbohydrates
  . 9 calories
•  A daily dose of 6 lozenges contains:
  . 13.44g of carbohydrates
  . 54 calories

   Medically, I was impressed with the published clinical trials with Cold-Eeze® and the proposed mechanisms of action of zinc in modifying the common cold. According to the Theory of ICAM-Receptor Mechanism of Action by Novick et al, the zinc gluconate glycine compound in COLD-EEZE® releases 93% of its ionic zinc (Zn2+) into the mucosal membranes in the mouth.[ii] “The zinc ions readily bind to the (cold-causing) human rhinovirus (HRV) which prevents the virus from binding our own cells through intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM), the “docking point” for HRV on the surface of nasal epithelial cells – subsequently reducing HRV duplication and further infection.”[iii] COLD-EEZE® reduced the duration of the common cold by 3 to 4 days, as shown in a series of clinical studies at leading research institutes and posted on the website: http://www.coldeeze.com/clinical_info/studies.html.