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Have you been recommended to start taking a zinc supplement?
Maybe you’ve heard that zinc can support your immunity and want to make sure you’re getting an adequate daily dose?
Find out all about this essential mineral, its potential health benefits, and discover 7 of the best zinc supplements 2022.
Zinc is an essential mineral our bodies need to function normally and keep us in good health.
In fact, it is the second most abundant mineral in the body - iron just pips it at the post!
Our bodies can’t make it, so we must get it from our diet or through dietary supplements – which we will get on to later.
Zinc has some very important jobs in the body, including:1
These main functions of zinc lead to an array of different health benefits, some of which are outlined below.
There are several potential health benefits of getting enough zinc or taking zinc supplements, including:
Immune system function – one of the most researched benefits of zinc is how it supports immune function
Antioxidant-rich – it is believed that zinc contains antioxidant properties which could help protect our cells from oxidative damage.3
Vision – Zinc helps to maintain normal vision
Brain function – Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function
Men, women, and children of different ages need slightly different amounts of zinc a day. Here are the recommended dietary allowances for zinc:4
Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Lactation |
---|---|---|---|---|
0-6 months | 2mg | 2mg | ||
7-12 months | 3mg | 3mg | ||
1-3 years | 3mg | 3mg | ||
4-8 years | 5mg | 5mg | ||
9-13 years | 8mg | 8mg | ||
14-18 years | 11mg | 9mg | 12mg | 13mg |
19 years + | 11mg | 8mg | 11mg | 12mg |
You should be able to get the zinc you need from a daily diet – discover some of the best food sources of zinc below.
Some of the most zinc-rich foods include:5
Here are some examples of these foods and how much zinc they provide per serving:6
Food | Milligrams per serving (mg) | Percent DV* |
---|---|---|
Oysters; cooked, breaded and fried - 3 ounces | 74.0 | 673 |
Beef chuck; roast and braised - 3 ounces | 7.0 | 64 |
Crab; Alaska king, cooked - 3 ounces | 6.5 | 59 |
Beef patty; broiled - 3 ounces | 5.3 | 48 |
Lobster; cooked - 3 ounces | 3.4 | 31 |
Pork chop loin; cooked - 3 ounces | 2.9 | 26 |
Baked beans; canned, plain or vegetarian - 1/2 cup | 2.9 | 26 |
Breakfast cereal; fortified with 25% of the DV for zinc - 1 serving | 2.8 | 25 |
Chicken; dark meat, cooked - 3 ounces | 2.4 | 22 |
Pumpkin seeds; dried - 1 ounce | 2.2 | 20 |
Yoghurt; fruit, low fat - 8 ounces | 1.7 | 15 |
Cashews; dry roasted - 1 ounce | 1.6 | 15 |
Chickpeas; cooked - 1/2 cup | 1.3 | 12 |
Cheese; swiss - 1 ounce | 1.2 | 11 |
Oatmeal; instant, plain, prepared with water - 1 packet | 1.1 | 10 |
Milk; low-fat or non-fat - 1 cup | 1.0 | 9 |
Almonds; dry roasted - 1 ounce | 0.9 | 8 |
Kidney beans; cooked, 1/2 cup | 0.9 | 8 |
Chicken breast; roasted, skin removed, 1/2 breast | 0.9 | 8 |
Cheese; cheddar or mozzarella - 1 ounce | 0.9 | 8 |
Peas; green, frozen, cooked -1/2 cup | 0.5 | 5 |
Flounder or sole; cooked - 3 ounces | 0.3 | 3 |
If you eat a diet rich in these food groups, you could be hitting your daily zinc targets already.
However, if you feel like you’ve just read a list of your most avoided foods?
A zinc supplement may be just what you need.
Zinc becomes more important for women when they are pregnant and lactating.
This is because the foetus has a high zinc requirement while it’s growing and the same goes for breastfed babies.
See the table above to see how much zinc you need when you are pregnant and breastfeeding.7
Growing foetuses and babies need quite a lot of zinc for their development.
Breastmilk can’t always fulfil the requirements, so supplements for the mother, age-appropriate zinc-rich foods and formulas are often recommended.8
Most people get enough zinc from a healthy balanced diet.
Zinc deficiency is uncommon, but when it does occur it’s usually due to inadequate zinc intake/absorption, increases zinc loss from the body or increased zinc requirements, e.g., during pregnancy.9
With that being said, zinc supplements are sometimes recommended for certain groups of people, including:10
There are several forms of zinc, including:
The type of zinc you take can affect the recommended dosage.
For example, zinc sulphate is made up of roughly 23% elemental zinc. So, 220mg of zinc sulphate is equivalent to 50mg of zinc.11
Current research has not yet determined whether different types of zinc vary in absorption, tolerability, or bioavailability.
Yes, it is essential that you consume zinc in some form every day, as the body cannot store it.
Now you know what zinc is and why we need this essential mineral, here are 7 of our favourite zinc supplements with the best customer ratings for you to explore:
Take just one of these high strength tablets a day to keep your zinc levels topped up.
They’re easy to swallow and totally vegetarian and vegan friendly.
You can also get the same high strength zinc tablets in a 100-tablet size.
Key benefits:
What our customers think:
AmzyB15 – Great – 5/5 stars
“Always use zinc, can’t be without! Easy to take and good for the immune system etc.”
LovelyLaura – Convenient – 5/5 stars
“Easy to take and what I needed as I have a deficiency. Good to be able to pick them up online.”
If you’re looking for a maximum strength zinc tablet – you’ve found it right here!
Each of these easy-to-absorb zinc tablets provides you with 25mg of zinc gluconate to help support your immune system and other bodily functions.
You can also get these supplements in 250-tablet pack size.
Key benefits:
What our customers think:
Aj515 – Good for the price!!! – 5/5 stars
“Does what it says on the bottle! Amazing for hair, skin and nails and just overall wellness.”
Like a bit of fizz? Now you can enjoy all the benefits of zinc and vitamin C in a tasty orange-flavour effervescent tablet!
They also come in blackcurrant flavour if you fancy that.
Key benefits:
What our customers think:
Grampian Phil – Just the tonic – 5/5 stars
“Brilliant Vitamin C and Zinc tabs, refreshing and just the tonic.”
Get two essential minerals for the price of one with these handy tablets!
Each tablet contains 15mg of high strength chelated zinc with an extra dash of copper.
Key benefits:
What our customers think:
Onestepahead – A useful addition to my ‘wellness’ toolkit! – 5/5 stars
“I find these easy to take - I do in fact take them every other day, 'leap frogging' with the Vegan multivitamins. Works for me!”
Katie8 – Good value buy – 5/5 stars
“I wanted a new product to replace the zinc tablets I had been using, which were really expensive. These chelated zinc tablets are high quality and just as easy to use as my old ones, but they are much cheaper. I think they are great value and I'm going to stick to buying this brand in future.”
Name a better trio of essential minerals for your health!
These handy caplets provide you with the zinc, magnesium and calcium you need to look after your whole body.
This combination of minerals can help you maintain normal bones and muscles, reduce tiredness and fatigue, keep your nervous system functioning healthily, and more.
Key benefits:
Customer reviews:
Hastoberight – Vegan Calcium Plus Tablets – 5/5 stars
“I bought because they are Vegan. Excellent product everything I need.”
What a combo! These magnesium and zinc tablets bring two of the most important essential minerals into one easy-to-take supplement.
They work together to help reduce tiredness and fatigue, support the nervous system, immune system, fertility, and more.
Key benefits:
What our customers think:
Tracie01 - Value for money - 5/5 stars
"Great value for money, stocked up on them while the deal was on"
Want to make sure your hair, skin and nails are always in tip-top condition?
This zinc supplement with other nutrients like vitamin C and biotin all come together to help you feel your best, most radiant self!
Key benefits:
Handpicked content: Why take zinc supplements?
Last updated: 13 September 2021
Joined Holland & Barrett: Apr 2019
Masters Degree in Toxicology and BSc Hons in Medical Biochemistry
Bhupesh started his career as a Clinical Toxicologist for Public Health England, advising healthcare professionals all around the country on how to manage clinical cases of adverse exposure to supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, industrial chemicals and agricultural products.
After 7 years in this role and a further year working as a drug safety officer in the pharmaceutical industry, Bhupesh joined Holland & Barrett as a Senior Regulatory Affairs Associate in 2019.