The Label
Zinc — 2.7 mg
Several hundred enzymes and a whole family of proteins depend on it. Here is what it is, what it does, and what our figure means.
What Zinc Is
Zinc is an essential trace mineral and the second most abundant one in your body after iron. It is a structural and catalytic component of several hundred enzymes and of an entire family of proteins — the zinc fingers — whose job is to grip DNA and regulate which genes are read.
You have no meaningful storage depot for zinc. That is unusual, and it means intake matters continuously rather than in bursts.
What It Does
In wound healing
Zinc has the longest track record in dermatology of anything on our panel after vitamin A. It runs the matrix metalloproteinases that remodel tissue during repair, and it is required for the cell proliferation that closes a wound. Zinc deficiency produces wounds that will not heal, and correcting it fixes them.
In the immune barrier
Skin is an immune organ and zinc is deeply involved in how it defends itself, from innate responses at the surface through to the behaviour of the immune cells underneath. The inherited zinc malabsorption disorder acrodermatitis enteropathica produces a dramatic rash around the mouth and the nappy area, and it resolves completely on zinc.
In hair and nails
Telogen effluvium — diffuse shedding after a shock to the system — is associated with low zinc status, and white spots on nails are a folk sign that has a genuine, if unreliable, association with it. Neither is diagnostic on its own.
Our Amount
2.7 mg In Every Serving
Our serving carries 2.7 mg, which is deliberately modest against an adult requirement of roughly 8 to 11 mg a day. The reason is copper, explained below, and we would rather print a conservative figure and justify it than print an impressive one.
Zinc has the longest track record in dermatology of anything on our label after vitamin A. It runs the enzymes that remodel tissue during healing, it holds the shape of the zinc-finger proteins that grip DNA, and it is closely involved in how skin manages its own immune defence at the surface.
When People Fall Short
Marginal zinc status is more widespread than most people assume. Vegetarians and vegans are at higher risk, partly because meat is the densest source and partly because phytates in grains and legumes bind zinc and reduce absorption. Anyone with a condition affecting the gut — coeliac disease, Crohn's, or surgery that shortened the intestine — is at higher risk again, as are heavy drinkers.
The early signs are unremarkable and easy to attribute elsewhere: slow healing, reduced appetite, a dulled sense of taste or smell, more infections than usual, and diffuse hair shedding.
Where It Occurs In Food
| Source | Roughly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oysters | About 32 mg per 75 g | Nothing else comes close |
| Beef | About 4.5 mg per 75 g | The everyday dense source |
| Pumpkin seeds | About 2.2 mg per 30 g | The best plant option |
| Lentils | About 1.3 mg per half cup | Soaking reduces the phytates that block it |
| Cashews | About 1.6 mg per 30 g | Useful, and easy to overeat |
| Chickpeas | About 1.3 mg per half cup | Better absorbed when sprouted or soaked |
The Ceiling, And The Cautions
The adult upper limit is 40 mg a day from all sources. Our 2.7 mg leaves an enormous margin, which is intentional.
The copper interaction is the reason. Zinc and copper compete for the same absorption transporter, and sustained high-dose zinc induces a protein in the gut wall that traps copper and carries it back out. Months of it can produce a genuine copper deficiency, with anaemia and neurological consequences. Short-term high-dose zinc lozenges for a cold are a different situation from a daily supplement taken for years, and we are formulating for the second.
Zinc also reduces absorption of certain antibiotics, quinolones and tetracyclines among them. Leave a couple of hours between them.
Answers
Zinc Questions
The questions we are asked about this nutrient specifically.
Why is your zinc figure so low?
Because we are formulating for daily use over months. A high daily zinc figure looks generous on a label and risks displacing copper over time. 2.7 mg supports the enzymes without shifting that balance.
Does zinc clear acne?
Oral zinc has some evidence in inflammatory acne, generally at doses far above ours and generally under medical supervision. Ours is a nutritional amount, not a treatment, and acne is a condition for a clinician.
Do white marks on my nails mean I am low on zinc?
Usually not. Most white marks are minor trauma to the nail matrix weeks earlier. It is an association, not a diagnosis.
Can I take extra zinc alongside this?
Add the figures first and keep the total well under 40 mg a day. If you plan to take a high dose for months rather than days, discuss copper with your doctor.