Vitamins & Minerals
Individual Vitamins and Minerals
What about zinc?
Zinc is found in virtually every cell and organ of our body with particularly high concentrations in the prostate gland, bone, skin, and liver. It is also found in high concentrations in hair.
Like many nutrients, zinc has a multitude of roles, but some of the more important are in supporting the immune system, assisting in energy metabolism, and supporting the reproductive and sexual function. How much zinc do I need?
The RDA of zinc is 15mg per day, and this is a sufficient amount for most people’s needs. Very few people are sufficiently deficient in zinc to justify taking more than 15mg per day by supplementation on top of the contribution made from diet which will normally lie between 5-12mg per day.When would I need a zinc supplement?
For most people zinc provided at 15mg per day as part of a good quality multivitamin and mineral is all they would ever need. However some people with depressed immune systems or with a diet which excludes meat and is low in seeds, nuts and legumes which are rich in zinc may need a short period where additional zinc is desirable.
However as all zinc supplements supply only the RDA level even in these cases an individual zinc supplement is difficult to justify – doubling up on a basic multivitamin and mineral would probably be more beneficial and better value for money.