Posted by Larry Hoover on June 5, 2007, at 10:02:38
In reply to Re: Will Zinc Restore Taste and Smell if so What Kind? » qqqsimmons, posted by Phillipa on June 3, 2007, at 21:11:55
> That's what the healthfood store said so they said to find someone with some knowledges about the zinc. Love Phillipa no nasal sprays of zinc unless neosynphine is.
I thought you'd learned that a viral infection destroyed your olfactory neurons? It's one of the most common causes of anosmia.
Oral zinc has a pretty good track record for improving sense of taste. The chemosensors that detect flavour require zinc for their protein structure and function.
I really don't know why anyone would spray zinc solutions up their nose. It's been known for decades that this destroys the sense of smell. That's how they induce anosmia in lab animals, before testing treatments for it.
Taking zinc by mouth is quite different, however, as there are carrier proteins dedicated to safely transporting zinc ions through the body to where they're needed.
A two-week trial of 100 mg/day zinc would be completely safe, and might demonstrate whether zinc status has any role in your loss of smell and taste. It really doesn't matter what kind you use.
Because loss of taste and smell are not life-threatening, they don't get a lot of research. But here's a nice summary article of the subject. Please note how many possible causes of anosmia exist. It's really hard to pin down the true cause, for some subjects. A virus infection, the cold or flu, can certainly do it.
http://www.egms.de/en/journals/cto/2005-4/cto000012.shtml
Here's an excerpt from this article, about an open-label trial of alpha-lipoic acid for post-viral anosmia. If the zinc doesn't work, that's what I'd suggest you try next.
4.2.1.3 Treatment of Postviral Olfactory Disorders
Treatment with alpha-lipoid acid seems promising. In an open, prospective study, patients [n=23, 19 hyposmic patients, 4 functionally anosmic patients, based on "Sniffin' Sticks" test results [29], [30], received alpha-lipoid acid (600 mg/day) for 4.5 months on average [114]. Six patients experienced mild improvement and 8 patients clear improvement of olfactory performance. However, the authors stated that confirmation of these findings warrants a double-blind study because spontaneous recovery and regeneration are common in postviral olfactory disorders and may occur up to 2 years after viral exposure [105].Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:760592
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070601/msgs/761324.html