Say Goodbye to Sniffles with ZQ Zap, the Antiviral Tag Team

You’ve probably heard many times over the past 3 years from your natural-health-focused friends about all the vitamins you need to be taking to keep yourself healthy (especially in today’s climate). At this point, you’re probably sick of hearing phrases like “Take vitamin C!”, “Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D,” or “You should really be taking a multivitamin!” While we agree that vitamin C, vitamin D, multivitamins, and many more nutrients are important for immune system optimization, we have two more nutrients to add to your list. This season’s immune-boosting must-haves that everyone (including celebrity influencers) is talking about: zinc and quercetin. Or, as we like to call them, the antiviral tag team.

Why we’re big fans of zinc

Now, you’re probably not surprised to hear us talk about zinc since it has been shown to:

• shorten the duration of illnesses [1]
• reduce the severity of symptoms [2]
• fight inflammation [3]

It is also needed for the proper development and function of immune cells and plays a key role in numerous vital immune processes. [3]

You can find evidence of zinc’s effectiveness in boosting the immune system as recently as the past 3 years. A recent pandemic case-control study found that those supplementing with 10 mg, 25 mg, and 50 mg of zinc had significantly fewer pandemic-related infections compared to the control group. Moreover, amongst those who did become infected, individuals supplementing with zinc had less severe symptoms than those not supplementing with zinc. [4]

So what about quercetin?

Now you’re probably wondering what quercetin has to do with all this. We’ll tell you! While zinc by itself is an amazing nutrient for immunity, new research has found that the immune-boosting properties of zinc can be even greater when paired with the potent plant flavonoid, quercetin! Not only does quercetin possess its own immune-boosting properties because of its role as an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, but, as it turns out, this key nutrient is a zinc ionophore. This means that it pushes zinc into cells. [5] Why is this important? Well, you can take all the zinc you want, but if it doesn't get into your cells then you won’t reap its immune-boosting benefits! 

Research through the years has shown quercetin as a zinc ionophore:

• One study found that an Israeli-made dietary supplement containing zinc, copper, and flavonoids, resulted in at least a 50% reduction in RNA virus replication [6]
• Another experiment looked directly at quercetin’s impact on zinc in cells and discovered that the presence of zinc in a cell doubled when quercetin was added. [7]

These findings are unsurprising given that scientists have already pinpointed a relationship between zinc and polyphenols in general. [7]

With dual antiviral properties and quercetin's ability to push zinc into the cells, zinc and quercetin make a powerful tag team to boost immunity and fend off viruses.

@drsusanbrown A new study confirming what we know to be true about the power of #quercetin + #zinc! 🌱 #immunesupport #viral #drsusanbrown #healthiswealth ♬ Music In Your Heart (Instrumental) - BLVKSHP

Take Action with Our Staff’s Favorite ZQ Zap Protocol for Adults**

If you know you’ve been exposed to an illness or begin to feel under the weather, you can follow our ZQ Zap protocol using our easy-to-take Triple Zinc+ lozenges and our potent quercetin-dihydrate formula, Relieve + Repair:

Day 1:

At the first sign of a sniffle, take 1 Triple Zinc+ lozenge along with 1 Relieve + Repair tabsule and then repeat up to 3 times that day.

Day 2 and onward:

If symptoms persist, we continue the Day 1 regimen until the illness resolves.

For a more complete immune health protocol, see our blog Support Immunity in Today’s Environment.

Bite-Size ZQ Zap Protocol for Kids**

Because our Triple Zinc+ is in a kid friendly lozenge form and great tasting, and our Relieve + Repair can be dissolved in liquid, we recommend a similar antiviral protocol for kids!

Day 1:

At the first sign of a sniffle, we give our kids 1 Triple Zinc+ and 1 Relieve + Repair once per day. Relieve + Repair can be dissolved and blends well in smoothies.

Day 2 and onward:

If symptoms persist, we continue the Day 1 regimen until the illness resolves.

**Long-term zinc supplementation can cause an imbalance of copper. One should supplement with 1 to 2 mg of copper as found in our Alkalizing Minerals.

© 2022 Alkaline for Life *MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Dr. Susan Brown Ph.D. nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.

References:

1. Singh, M., and R. R. Das. 2013. Zinc for the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 6:CD001364.
2. Sazawal, S., et al. 1998. Zinc supplementation reduces the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections in infants and preschool children: A double-blind, controlled trial. Pediatrics 102(1 Pt 1):1-5.
3. Prasad, A. S. 2008. Zinc in human health: Effect of zinc on immune cells. Molecular Medicine 14(5-6):353-357.
4. Gordon, A. M., and P. C. Hardigan. 2021. A case-control study for the effectiveness of oral zinc in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19. Frontiers in Medicine 8.
5. Li, Y., et al. 2016. Quercetin, inflammation and immunity. Nutrients 8(3):167.
6. Jeffay, N. 2022. Israeli-made dietary supplement fights off viruses in lab tests, scientists say. The Times of Israel 12 April 2022. Accessed September 2022.
7. Dabbagh-Bazarbachi, H., et al. 2014. Zinc ionophore activity of quercetin and epigallocatechin-gallate: From hepa 1-6 cells to a liposome model. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 62(32):8085-8093.