Zinc dosage and forms
Both my GP and my cardio have plugged me taking zinc and my blood levels are slightly under average. So I’ve been taking zinc picolinate, my acupressurist zinc methionate (OptiZinc), recommended to her, also recommended by Trudy Scott. After now researching, as the picolinate was getting empty I found that zinc bisglycinate is a newer compound said to be even more bioavailable than methionate, gluconate and those slightly more than the picolinate. So like magnesium it’s again more complicated, as zinc alone can’t be taken and it can be compounded with all kinds of chelates etc. (maybe like magnesium organic, chelated and anorganic).
Now I’ve been taking it aside from meals, but on my new bisglycinate it says take it with meals, so I’ve checked that and it’s if my GI doesn’t tolerate it that I shd take it with meals. It’s higher dosed than before 25mg instead of 15mg and more bioavailable, so let’s see… - I’ll take it now all the same. … Whoops, no: stomach rumbling/gnarling at me 5x in a row, and starting to get hungry, metallic taste. Had to get up again to eat something, that was OK, and I could doze/sleep another hour. What do I learn from that: Do what the supplier suggests first, esp. when first starting and even more so on a day where I have to do something like work/get up earlier…
As I’d already thought: the dose is higher, plus it’s more bioavailable, additionally glycinate is not picolinate. And I already take magnesium glycinate, which wakes me up due to the glycinate, that could get a problem now too… didn’t I think.
Unsure again, cos of GI stuff today after first try, which’d fit to the ‘rare sfx’ above. So more:
Trudy Scott’s zinc challenge is if tastes stronge/metallic/yucky (try periodically) you don’t need it.
White spots on your finger nails and sweet taste in your mouth may mean you do, as do “joints popping or aching, and that’s because of low zinc. The other common things that we see with low zinc is this poor appetite, poor sense of smell, poor sense of taste and then the stretch marks on the skin and white flecks on the nails.”
If taking it doesn’t increase it, that might come from sugar, stress, , too little stomach acid, exercise, nuts & copper in it.
It helps with GABA/serotonin, sleep, fog,
Low zinc might be <70.
With symptoms of a cold you need to take it inside the first 24h.
Some sites say 40mg should be completely OK, for CoV people are saying take up to 110mg/d.
Mayoclinic/IBM Micromedex say “Zinc supplements are most effective if they are taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals. However, if zinc supplements cause stomach upset, they may be taken with a meal. You should tell your health care professional if you are taking your zinc supplement with meals.” They say 15mg is enough…