How to Understand Whether Gargling Prevents the Common Cold

Do the benefits of gargling extend to preventing the common cold? Find out.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. If you’re like most people, you experience a viral respiratory infection or a cold several times a year. In some cases the symptoms can linger for days or even weeks and develop into a cough or stuffy nose that just won’t go away. Since there’s no cure for the common cold, the ideal treatment is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. While washing your hands has been shown to reduce the risk of getting a cold, what about gargling? Are there benefits of gargling when it comes to preventing viruses and common colds?

2. Benefits of Gargling: A Study
   
   According to an article published in Prescriber’s Letter, a prescribing journal for medical doctors, the benefits of gargling for the prevention of colds and flu is still unclear. A small study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine conducted by Japanese researchers showed that gargling with water was not only effective in reducing the incidence of the common cold, but it was also superior to gargling with an iodine solution. This may come as a surprise to those who believe it’s necessary to gargle with an antiseptic solution to kill bacteria and cold causing viruses in the throat. At least according to this study, it’s more beneficial to gargle with water.

3. The Experts Are Still Not Convinced
   
   Although this study showed the benefits of gargling when it comes to preventing colds, many medical experts are not convinced, arguing that gargling with water only flushes bacteria and viruses out of the throat which is the same thing that happens when you drink a glass of water. Obviously, more research is needed to confirm the health benefits of gargling for infection control and to determine whether or not gargling with water is as effective as using antiseptic mouthwashes.

4. What About Just Drinking Water?
   
   The other issue that arises, if gargling with water provides essentially the same effects as drinking a glass of water, does drinking frequent glasses of water provide protection against cold viruses? Most water from the tap contains chlorine which has antibacterial properties. This could account for the benefits of gargling with water seen in the Japanese study.

5. The Benefits of Gargling: The bottom line?
   
   There’s not enough evidence to say that gargling with water, iodine, or any other type of mouthwash can prevent the common cold or other viral infections. On the other hand, gargling is a relatively harmless procedure and the benefits can include fresher breath and better oral hygiene. If it makes you feel better, do it, but keeping washing your hands to help prevent the common cold.