With respect to: "As with anything, excessive intake of zinc may lead to unwanted symptoms, including nausea, upset GI, headaches, dizziness, and vomiting. Some of this may come from excessive supplementation, although apparently denture-adhesive creams may also be a source of high zinc as well. High levels of zinc has also been associated with reduced copper which may cause anemia and neurological impairment."
I have been advised that it is a good idea to take 1mg of copper for every 15mg of zinc. I found this in a product called "zinc balance". Any additional thoughts on this are welcome.
So I'll first start by stating that I'm not a medical professional so the works here shouldn't be seen as any medical advice and just an informative post.
With that being said, I unfortunately did not look into greater detail about the copper issue. It was something that appeared a few times in the articles I read and so made a point to add a line about it, although I'm not sure to the extent that would occur in real life if one were to intake adequate supply of copper as well. It also appears that the copper issue may be downstream of other symptoms of excessive zinc intake so it may be worth considering whether there are any bodily changes, or to be aware of any signs of copper deficiency.
Apologies if this doesn't answer your question. This was a preliminary look so I haven't gone into the finer details.
Thank you Lee for bringing up denture adhesive creams. Not yet there, but very interesting. A good natural balanced diet should provide your daily doses of everything. Shellfish are very high in zinc, but unfortunately nowadays high in mercury, so avoid if unsure of sourcing.
Did not know about copper depletion with zinc usage, but when you start upping outside of natural sources, it makes sense to balance. Unfortunately I do not believe our biochemical tapestry is so easily untangled. Hence the caution with any entanglement with the Periodic Table of Elements, and any other overdose of anything (superbeets, chia seeds, etc.). A banana, a magnesium tablet and a greek yogurt a few times weekly keep the cal/mag/potassium ratio right, at the least. Anything outside that should be discussed with a holistic doctor.
I will say that after the whole supplement craze with vitamin D3 and zinc I started to slow down a bit. I think it is very important to remember that excess of anything may actually cause cellular responses in regards to the excess that may be detrimental. It appears that some immune cells may not respond well to too much zinc. We tend to think this is a phenomenon of things that are widely discussed such as fats and carbs but it should be a reminder that one should be cautious of overdoing anything.
I personally do not take any prescriptions and supplements, and just eat as I wish. I'm a sampler and lover of nearly all foods, and believe this benefits me, as well as intermittent fasting, whether intentional or accidental with a busy mind! The question I asked was more for persons who took the shots and maybe need additional supplementation if not provided by their diet. For example, I say, try for this and that, but if you can't or don't, consider supplementing with A and B.
Thank you! I wanted this post to be less drawn out as compared to my Anthology Series posts so I left out a few details. I should have added a bit more about the copper but I didn't dive into it deeply enough. It was only a comment I found across several articles and therefore decided to leave it at that one remark so apologies if it feels lacking.
I would assume that, given where copper and zinc are on the periodic table, that high levels of zinc may actually cause mismetallation to occur and displace some of the copper ions and that may be the reason for the copper deficiency. I would need to look into it more but just from a cursory glance I would assume this may be what's happening.
Apologies for not getting back to you sooner. I took a glimpse at the paper and it seemed to focus on the dynamics that occurs during cystic fibrosis, and during chronic illness there are changes in nutrients so that may be indicative of the disease state reducing the ability to absorb nutrients.
I released an article today that provided a bit of background to the copper deficiency if it helps provide some additional context.
I started taking 50mg Zinc as the gluconate about 2014. I was pleased to find that my tendency to get colds/bronchitis in the winter was greatly reduced. Anecdotal N of 1, I am not an MD and am not giving medical advice!
It's interesting to see that it works for you! Epidemiological data would be something nice to dive into. Sorry if it's a bit intrusive or personal but did you know if you had a zinc deficiency prior to supplementation?
No actual Zn levels at any time. With all the Zinc based cold treatments, I tried the 50 mg Zinc tablets, just to see if it made a change. I went from being sick 3-4 times a year, to infrequent sniffles. Seems to have helped.
That's interesting to hear. There are arguments about zinc deficiency due to modern diets, maybe due to high consumption of phytates, and there's always a group of people who consider the current daily recommendations to actually be outdated since their inception in the 1960s. So overall there is an argument to be made about reevaluating these old recommendations.
Zinc is a heavy metal and any supplementation should be executed with caution. While short-term zinc nasal sprays are effective, the key is short-term usage. Zinc is a powerful antiviral and quickly shortens a viral storm, but care should be given to daily usage. Zinc ointment (ski cream, butt paste) is an alternate route to absorb zinc into the system if it upsets the GI.
So I will provide the caveat that yes, zinc is a heavy metal such as copper and iron, however it is an essential heavy metal in that it is required for proper bodily functions. So the concern doesn't rest specifically on it being a heavy metal as that can be a misnomer or heuristic approach that may not get to the nuances of the differences between ions.
But you are correct in that one should be cautious in overdoing it with supplementation. And there is a good argument in being careful with minerals. That's why my post referred a bit more with making sure levels are adequate and remain adequate rather than possibly overdoing it.
And the nasal sprays/throat lozenges are interesting for the acute phases of an infection. I haven't looked too deeply into it but for acute infections this may an approach worth considering.
Thanks for the mentions on the ointment for alternatives, although I'm not sure a zinc butt paste sounds pleasant...
With respect to: "As with anything, excessive intake of zinc may lead to unwanted symptoms, including nausea, upset GI, headaches, dizziness, and vomiting. Some of this may come from excessive supplementation, although apparently denture-adhesive creams may also be a source of high zinc as well. High levels of zinc has also been associated with reduced copper which may cause anemia and neurological impairment."
I have been advised that it is a good idea to take 1mg of copper for every 15mg of zinc. I found this in a product called "zinc balance". Any additional thoughts on this are welcome.
So I'll first start by stating that I'm not a medical professional so the works here shouldn't be seen as any medical advice and just an informative post.
With that being said, I unfortunately did not look into greater detail about the copper issue. It was something that appeared a few times in the articles I read and so made a point to add a line about it, although I'm not sure to the extent that would occur in real life if one were to intake adequate supply of copper as well. It also appears that the copper issue may be downstream of other symptoms of excessive zinc intake so it may be worth considering whether there are any bodily changes, or to be aware of any signs of copper deficiency.
Apologies if this doesn't answer your question. This was a preliminary look so I haven't gone into the finer details.
Thank you Lee for bringing up denture adhesive creams. Not yet there, but very interesting. A good natural balanced diet should provide your daily doses of everything. Shellfish are very high in zinc, but unfortunately nowadays high in mercury, so avoid if unsure of sourcing.
Did not know about copper depletion with zinc usage, but when you start upping outside of natural sources, it makes sense to balance. Unfortunately I do not believe our biochemical tapestry is so easily untangled. Hence the caution with any entanglement with the Periodic Table of Elements, and any other overdose of anything (superbeets, chia seeds, etc.). A banana, a magnesium tablet and a greek yogurt a few times weekly keep the cal/mag/potassium ratio right, at the least. Anything outside that should be discussed with a holistic doctor.
I will say that after the whole supplement craze with vitamin D3 and zinc I started to slow down a bit. I think it is very important to remember that excess of anything may actually cause cellular responses in regards to the excess that may be detrimental. It appears that some immune cells may not respond well to too much zinc. We tend to think this is a phenomenon of things that are widely discussed such as fats and carbs but it should be a reminder that one should be cautious of overdoing anything.
I personally do not take any prescriptions and supplements, and just eat as I wish. I'm a sampler and lover of nearly all foods, and believe this benefits me, as well as intermittent fasting, whether intentional or accidental with a busy mind! The question I asked was more for persons who took the shots and maybe need additional supplementation if not provided by their diet. For example, I say, try for this and that, but if you can't or don't, consider supplementing with A and B.
Very focused piece. Hit many points. I have seen the zinc to copper ratio being important and there's only one mention of it which I found curious.
Thank you! I wanted this post to be less drawn out as compared to my Anthology Series posts so I left out a few details. I should have added a bit more about the copper but I didn't dive into it deeply enough. It was only a comment I found across several articles and therefore decided to leave it at that one remark so apologies if it feels lacking.
I would assume that, given where copper and zinc are on the periodic table, that high levels of zinc may actually cause mismetallation to occur and displace some of the copper ions and that may be the reason for the copper deficiency. I would need to look into it more but just from a cursory glance I would assume this may be what's happening.
I completely understand staying focused on zinc with the level you went into it. It does seem like high levels of zinc can lead to copper deficiency. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7692365/
Hi Tom,
Apologies for not getting back to you sooner. I took a glimpse at the paper and it seemed to focus on the dynamics that occurs during cystic fibrosis, and during chronic illness there are changes in nutrients so that may be indicative of the disease state reducing the ability to absorb nutrients.
I released an article today that provided a bit of background to the copper deficiency if it helps provide some additional context.
https://moderndiscontent.substack.com/p/addendum-zinc-supplementation-and
I started taking 50mg Zinc as the gluconate about 2014. I was pleased to find that my tendency to get colds/bronchitis in the winter was greatly reduced. Anecdotal N of 1, I am not an MD and am not giving medical advice!
Don't worry Obvious; neither am I! 😉
It's interesting to see that it works for you! Epidemiological data would be something nice to dive into. Sorry if it's a bit intrusive or personal but did you know if you had a zinc deficiency prior to supplementation?
No actual Zn levels at any time. With all the Zinc based cold treatments, I tried the 50 mg Zinc tablets, just to see if it made a change. I went from being sick 3-4 times a year, to infrequent sniffles. Seems to have helped.
That's interesting to hear. There are arguments about zinc deficiency due to modern diets, maybe due to high consumption of phytates, and there's always a group of people who consider the current daily recommendations to actually be outdated since their inception in the 1960s. So overall there is an argument to be made about reevaluating these old recommendations.
Zinc is a heavy metal and any supplementation should be executed with caution. While short-term zinc nasal sprays are effective, the key is short-term usage. Zinc is a powerful antiviral and quickly shortens a viral storm, but care should be given to daily usage. Zinc ointment (ski cream, butt paste) is an alternate route to absorb zinc into the system if it upsets the GI.
So I will provide the caveat that yes, zinc is a heavy metal such as copper and iron, however it is an essential heavy metal in that it is required for proper bodily functions. So the concern doesn't rest specifically on it being a heavy metal as that can be a misnomer or heuristic approach that may not get to the nuances of the differences between ions.
But you are correct in that one should be cautious in overdoing it with supplementation. And there is a good argument in being careful with minerals. That's why my post referred a bit more with making sure levels are adequate and remain adequate rather than possibly overdoing it.
And the nasal sprays/throat lozenges are interesting for the acute phases of an infection. I haven't looked too deeply into it but for acute infections this may an approach worth considering.
Thanks for the mentions on the ointment for alternatives, although I'm not sure a zinc butt paste sounds pleasant...
Lol
Should have said diaper rash ointment but not all have zinc. Butt Paste contains zinc: https://www.buttpaste.com/