Trace minerals

Zinc

Immune · enzymes

100+ enzymes; immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis.

Daily target

11 mg

FDA Daily Value

Upper limit

40 mg

Tolerable Upper Intake

Catalog matches

supplements in our catalog

Upper-limit caution

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Zinc is 40 mg per day. Routine intakes above this level — counting food + supplements — raise the risk of adverse effects. Multivitamins, fortified foods, and standalone supplements stack faster than people expect.

What Zinc does

Zinc is a structural and catalytic component of more than 300 enzymes and transcription factors. It's central to immune function (T-cell development, NK activity), wound healing, taste perception, sperm production, and growth. There's no major body store, so deficiency develops within weeks of inadequate intake. Long-term high-dose supplementation (>40 mg/day) induces copper deficiency by upregulating intestinal metallothionein — neurological copper deficiency from chronic zinc lozenge use is a well-documented case-report cluster.

Food sources of Zinc

Approximate Zinc content per serving. Whole-food intake counts toward your daily total alongside any supplemental dose.

Food	Serving	Zinc
Oysters (cooked)	3 oz	75 mg
Beef (cooked)	3 oz	7 mg
Crab (cooked)	3 oz	6.5 mg
Pumpkin seeds	1 oz	2 mg
Cashews	1 oz	1.6 mg
Chickpeas (cooked)	1 cup	2.5 mg

Signs of Zinc deficiency

●Frequent infections, slow wound healing
●Loss of taste and smell (hypogeusia, hyposmia)
●Hair loss, brittle nails with white spots
●Diarrhea, dermatitis around mouth/eyes/anus
●Children: growth failure, delayed sexual maturation

Who needs more Zinc

Groups and situations where Zinc requirements rise or status commonly runs low:

●Vegetarians/vegans (phytates inhibit absorption; effective requirement ~50% higher)
●Pregnancy and lactation (modest RDA increase)
●Older adults — both lower intake and reduced absorption
●Sickle cell disease, IBD, chronic diarrhea, alcohol use disorder
●After bariatric surgery

Forms to avoid

Not all Zinc forms absorb equally well. The following forms are commonly used because they're cheap, but their bioavailability is materially lower than alternatives — watch for them on supplement labels:

oxide

Formulate's product scoring penalizes these forms when they appear as the primary Zinc source — see the methodology page for the rubric.

How Zinc appears on labels

Supplement labels list Zinc under several names depending on the chemical form used. Any of these on an ingredients panel counts toward your Zinc intake:

zinc
zinc citrate
zinc gluconate
zinc picolinate
zinc bisglycinate
zinc oxide
zinc monomethionine

Best supplements for Zinc

Top-scoring supplements in our catalog that list Zinc on the label. Each product is graded on Formulate's ingredient-level rubric — dose accuracy, form, transparency, and third-party testing.

Thorne

Zinc Bisglycinate 30 mg

Thorne

Zinc Picolinate 30 mg

Thorne

MediClear-SGS™ - Vanilla

Thorne

Zinc Bisglycinate 15 mg

Thorne

Zinc Picolinate 15 mg

Thorne

Thyroid Health Complex (formerly Thyrocsin)

Thorne

Basic Nutrients 2/Day

Thorne

Basic Prenatal

Deep dive

For mechanism of action, dosing protocols, evidence grade, and interaction warnings on Zinc, see the full encyclopedia entry:

Zinc encyclopedia entry →

Research on Zinc

Peer-reviewed studies in our research database that reference Zinc. Each entry links to a detailed methodology review.

Guides covering Zinc

Long-form articles in our guide library that go deeper on Zinc — comparisons, protocols, and reviews.

Frequently asked questions

What is the daily target for Zinc?

The fda daily value for Zinc is 11 mg per day for adults. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 40 mg/day from food and supplements combined.

What foods are highest in Zinc?

Oysters (cooked) (75 mg per 3 oz); Beef (cooked) (7 mg per 3 oz); Crab (cooked) (6.5 mg per 3 oz). See the food sources section below for the full list.

What is the best form of Zinc to supplement?

Zinc bisglycinate, picolinate, and citrate are well-absorbed. Avoid zinc oxide as the primary form — bioavailability is low. Don't run high doses (>40 mg) for more than a few weeks without paired copper or lab monitoring. For immune support during a cold, zinc acetate or gluconate lozenges are the best-supported delivery.

What are the signs of Zinc deficiency?

Frequent infections, slow wound healing; Loss of taste and smell (hypogeusia, hyposmia); Hair loss, brittle nails with white spots.

Who is most at risk for low Zinc?

Vegetarians/vegans (phytates inhibit absorption; effective requirement ~50% higher); Pregnancy and lactation (modest RDA increase); Older adults — both lower intake and reduced absorption.

Related trace minerals

Track your full intake

Formulate's free web app aggregates Zinc (and ~40 other nutrients) across every supplement in your stack — flagging underdoses, overlaps, and upper-limit overshoots in one view.

Track your intake free →

Medical disclaimer. This page is educational and does not replace advice from a qualified healthcare provider. Targets and upper limits are general adult reference values; individual needs vary by age, sex, pregnancy status, and clinical context.