Categories: Nutrition

Zinc

Zinc

Info
Dosage (RDI)
Adults:
  • Males >18 years: 14 mg/day
  • Females >18 years: 8 mg/day.
Absorption location Duodenum and Ileum
Forms
  • Zinc sulfate (most common)
  • Zinc gluconate (most common)
  • Zinc picolinate
  • Zinc methionine
  • Zinc carnosine
Storage Sites
  • Skeletal muscle (60%)
  • Bone (30%)
  • Prostate and testes
Uses
Deficiency symptoms
  • White spots on nails
  • Impaired taste and smell
  • Anorexia
  • Impaired growth
  • Delayed sexual maturation, hypogonadism, hypospermia, menstrual issues
  • Dermatitis around the orifices (eg. acrodermatitis enteropathica)
  • Alopecia
  • Chronic and severe diarrhoea
  • Immune system dysfunction
    • decreased T-helper 2 cells
  • Increased susceptibility to infections
  • Impaired wound healing
  • Night blindness, swelling and clouding of the corneas
  • Behavioural disturbances
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Nail dystrophy
  • Photophobia
  • Reduced serum testosterone in males
Causes of deficiency
  • Low dietary intake
  • Phytates, Calcium, Soy protein rich diets
  • Vegetarianism/Veganism
  • Malabsorption syndromes
  • Inflammation
  • Weight loss
  • Medications
    • Antihypertensive drugs (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, Thiazide diuretics)
    • Penicillamine
    • Chlorothiazide
  • Anorexia
  • Specific infections (eg. Yersinia enterocolitica infection)
  • Periods of growth
  • Excessive loss through ejaculation, urine, skin
  • Chronic alcoholism
  • Obesity
  • Renal impairment
  • Extensive burns
  • Gastric bypass
  • Villi atrophy
  • Hypogonadism
  • Erectile dysfunction/impotence
Therapeutic Uses
  • Increased immunity
    • decreases rhinovirus binding to cells
    • modulates inflammatory cytokines and histamine release
  • Common cold prevention and treatment
    • lozenges are most effective
  • Acne and other skin conditions
  • Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
  • Erectile dysfunction/Impotence
  • Male fertility
  • Wilson’s disease
  • Sickle cell anaemia
  • Athletes (counteract loss through perspiration)
  • Improving taste perception
  • Wound healing
  • May help with Tinnitus
At Risk Groups
  • Ages 1-3 years
  • Ages >70 years
Sources
Food
Best bioavailable sources:
  • Meat
  • Liver
  • Eggs
  • Seafood
    • Oysters
    • Shellfish
Other sources (do contain phytates):
  • Nuts
    • Brazil
    • Almonds
    • Cashews
    • Pecans
    • Walnuts
  • Seeds
    • Pepitas
    • Sunflower
*Grain sources of zinc are basically unobtainable due to phytate to zinc ratio.
*Phytate content can be reduced by fermenting and sprouting, improving zinc absorption.
Roles
Roles
  • HCL production in the stomach
  • Growth and development
  • Immune function
    • Non-specific immunity
    • T-cell function
  • Gastrointestinal structure and function
  • Neurological function
  • Prostate health
  • Fertility (male and female)
    • Sperm count and motility
  • Antioxidant
More
Diagnosing Deficiency
  • No accurate assessment of zinc status is currently available
  • Zinc taste test is too variable to produce accurate results
Interactions
  • Phytates
  • Calcium (high doses)
  • Coffee (separate by 2 hours)
  • ACE inhibitors
  • Copper (can deplete copper if taking long term)
  • Iron (separate by 2 hours)
  • NSAIDs (separate by 2 hours)
  • Tetracyclines and quinolones
  • Thiazide and loop diuretics
  • Methylphenidate
    • Beneficial improvement in children with ADHD when taking concurrently
  • Antidepressants (TCA, SSRI)
    • Beneficial improvement when taking concurrently
Toxicity/Adverse Effects
  • High dose zinc can cause copper deficiency
    • lower immune system
  • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea
  • GI distress
Note Several studies suggest that zinc bioavailability from supplements is significantly better than from food. Over the long term however, studies have showed that this diminishes over a few days of consecutive dosing, due to compensatory down regulation of zinc transporters, and absorption quickly becomes comparable with the lower amount seen with food.
Braun, L., & Cohen, M. (2015). Herbs and Natural Supplements, Volume 2. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hechtman, L. (2018). Clinical Naturopathic Medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Osiecki, H. (2010). The Nutrient Bible (8th ed.). Bio Concepts Publishing.
NHC

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Published by
NHC
4 years ago

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