5 Benefits Of Zinc + How To Make Sure You Get Enough Of The Essential Mineral

Zinc is an essential trace mineral. "Trace" means that your body needs it in small amounts to function properly, while "essential" means that our bodies can't synthesize zinc on its own. Instead, we must consume it daily.

Zinc is a unique element with antioxidant properties necessary for the activity of over 100 enzymes and a wide range of critical functions in your body. These include cellular metabolism, protein synthesis, the creation of DNA, immune function, vision, and your senses of taste and smell, to name a few. Zinc also supports a healthy pregnancy and key features of growth and development. 

Because your body can't make zinc, you need to get it in adequate amounts from the foods you eat. Adult women need at least 8 milligrams of zinc per day, while men need 11 milligrams. Daily zinc requirements increase to 11 to 12 milligrams during pregnancy and lactation, respectively. 

Aaron Hartman, M.D., a double board-certified medical doctor and clinical researcher, explains that zinc is essential for the function of our innate immune system—our body's first line of defense that fights infection and targets abnormal cells (e.g., cancer). "Even slight deficiencies in this nutrient have been seen in chronic illness, recurrent infections, skin disease, and autoimmune conditions," says Hartman.

In fact, zinc is critical for the development and function of many immune cells in our innate (neutrophils, macrophages, and natural killer cells) and adaptive immune (B-cells and T-cells) responses. Inadequate zinc can weaken these immune defenses.

One meta-analysis that was published in JRSM Open2 found that supplementing with zinc lozenges at a dose of at least 75 milligrams per day reduced the duration of the common cold by an average of 33%.

In one study that was published in Wound Repair and Regeneration3 in 2017, researchers divided 60 participants with diabetic foot ulcers into two groups. One group supplemented with 50 milligrams of zinc (from zinc sulfate) for 12 weeks, while the other group received a placebo. The group that supplemented with zinc had a significant reduction in the size of the ulcers.

In addition to wound healing, some forms of zinc may also help clear up your skin. Although acne causes are multifactorial, preliminary research indicates that zinc's anti-inflammatory properties may benefit those with acne (AKA acne vulgaris)4.

Zinc is an important cofactor6 in some of the major reactions in the body that help manage inflammation. When you're deficient in zinc, it can heighten the inflammatory response and, over time, cause damage to your body. 

In fact, zinc deficiency over time can contribute to systemic inflammation7 and is thought to be linked to impaired immune function often seen in older adults.

Preliminary evidence9 shows that zinc supplementation may help slow down the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by increasing autophagy (i.e., cellular cleanup) and reducing oxidative stress. 

AMD is a degenerative disease that affects the macula, and it's the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S. The macula is the central part of the retina, where zinc happens to be very highly concentrated10.

In a clinical trial published in Current Eye Research11 in 2008, participants with AMD were given either 25 milligrams of zinc twice daily or a placebo. After six months, the zinc group had significant improvements in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and flash recovery time.

There are many forms of zinc out there, delivered via complexes (salts and chelates). These specific forms include zinc bisglycinate, sulfate, oxide, gluconate, acetate, picolinate, citrate, glycerate, and monomethionine.

Amino acid chelate forms of this mineral (e.g., zinc bisglycinate chelate) are unique, and research shows they're gentle, premium, and well-absorbed14 forms of zinc.

While there aren't plentiful side-by-side clinical trials in humans, to inform bioavailability of different forms of this mineral, a few do exist. For example, zinc oxide absorption has been shown to be lower15 than zinc citrate and gluconate forms. And zinc bisglycinate14 has been shown to have superior absorption over zinc gluconate.

In addition to choosing the right form of zinc, dose is important. Taking too much can interfere with another essential mineral: copper. "Zinc reduces the amount of copper the body is able to absorb, so high doses of zinc can result in copper deficiency," explains Ivanir.

Specifically, total daily intakes (i.e., food plus supplements) of zinc greater than 60 milligrams, over time, have been tied to copper deficiency.

It's important to talk to your health care practitioner before making any major lifestyle changes, and that includes supplementing with zinc. If your doctor gives you the go-ahead to take a zinc supplement, there are a few things you can do to ensure you're supplementing in a smart way.

While you can take zinc every day, make sure you're not overdoing it. The upper limit for zinc (meaning the most you should get in a day) is 40 milligrams. If you take more than this regularly, you may experience mild gastrointestinal distress. But acute zinc toxicity (typically seen with single zinc doses16 of 225 milligrams and higher) may involve more serious symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.

You should also be careful about when you're taking your zinc supplements in relation to other vitamins and minerals. According to Ivanar, "Taking large amounts of supplemental iron (over 25 mg) may decrease zinc absorption, so these two mineral supplements should be taken separately." That's because iron and zinc compete for the same absorption transporter in the small intestine.