Nutrients
Zinc
Zn
Included in Complete.
Compare membershipsZinc supports immunity, healing, and taste.
Zinc is a trace mineral that hundreds of enzymes depend on. It supports your immune system, wound healing, protein building, and your senses of taste and smell.
A single zinc reading has some limits.
Your body tightly controls the zinc in your blood, so a result doesn't always mirror what you eat. Levels vary with time of day and recent meals, and they can drop during infection or inflammation or when albumin, the protein that carries most zinc, is low. A fasting morning sample is generally considered most reliable.
Zinc from meat and seafood is absorbed more easily than zinc from plant foods, because compounds in grains and beans called phytates reduce absorption. People who eat little or no meat, and people with celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease, are more likely to run low.
Your body keeps blood zinc steady, so context matters.
Questions
What does a low zinc result mean?
It may point to low intake or reduced absorption, but it can also reflect recent illness, inflammation, or the time of day your sample was taken. Your clinician will consider your diet, symptoms, and other results before suggesting anything.
Can too much zinc be a problem?
Yes. Taking high-dose zinc supplements for weeks or longer can interfere with copper absorption and may lead to low copper. If you take zinc, it's worth mentioning to the clinician reviewing your results.