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Comment by Maciej Wendykowski (maciej-wendykowski) on Is this info on zinc lozenges accurate? · 2020-11-09T21:15:04.830Z · LW · GW

I read your article. Nice work and summary. Thanks for you work.

I wanted to buy some zinc lozenge, especially for my parents (in case of COVID). I made quite a big research on internet and I'm pretty convinced for that. Only one doubt I have - afa magnesium stearate is concerned (because I read that that magnesium generally, in form of ions can increase virus replication). 

I know - in most of sources is that magnesium stearate there is not a problem - for example - I read there is only max 5% of magnesium stearate in a pill/ lozenge (and usually not more that 1,5%). And in magnesium stearate itself is only 4% magnesium. And megnesium stearate is hardly soluable in water (although saliva has a light acidic profile), it falls apart in stomach acid environment and (I think) magnesium ions are not "released" in saliva from magnesium stearate. 

What is more - in some surveys on zinc lozenge effect on cold there were lozenges with magnesium stearate and were successful in shortening cold. And I think, that I read, that some of other anti-viral official medicaments have magnesium stearate (but about that I'm not 100% sure).

So, why have I any doubt in this situation? Because of this sentence in one paper: "Magnesium stearate was not used as a lubricant due to concerns about concentrated magnesium greatly stimulating rhinovirus replication"  ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457799/ ). And this is sentence of George Eby, who wrote couple of papers on zinc-effectivenes.

How do you think?

PS. Afa I'm concerned I think that I anyway buy lozenges for my parents and myself