Zinc Supplements - Benefits and Risks

Zinc supplements are dietary supplements containing zinc, an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and various enzymatic reactions in the body.
Category
Supplement
Where to get
Available over the counter at pharmacies and health stores.
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Zinc Supplements FAQ


Image credit: walmart.com

What are the health benefits of zinc supplements?

Research shows that zinc has numerous health benefits. Zinc helps keep your immune system strong. Because it is necessary for immune cell function and cell signaling, a deficiency can lead to a weakened immune response ( 7 ). Zinc supplements stimulate particular immune cells and reduce oxidative stress.

Do zinc supplements help prevent zinc deficiency?

Zinc is vital for many aspects of health and has been associated with a variety of benefits. Zinc supplements are often used to help treat and prevent zinc deficiency. Though zinc deficiency is uncommon, the mineral is considered an essential nutrient, meaning that your body is unable to produce it on its own.

Do all dietary supplements contain zinc?

Almost all multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements contain zinc. Zinc is also available alone or combined with calcium, magnesium, or other ingredients in dietary supplements. Dietary supplements can have several different forms of zinc, such as zinc sulfate, zinc acetate, and zinc gluconate.

Do all dietary supplements have zinc?

Nearly all of the general multivitamin and mineral dietary supplements have zinc in them. You can also get an isolated zinc supplement or a supplement in which zinc is combined with something like calcium. There are different forms of zinc in supplements, but one has not been shown to be better than the others.

Zinc Supplements References

If you want to know more about Zinc Supplements, consider exploring links below:

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