The Supp Digest | What 800k Supplement Users Know About Zinc
In this issue of the digest, we’re exploring the data on how our community is supplementing zinc. From typical doses, to favorite products, we have the insights ready for you.
Zinc: The Underrated Mineral
In our early May Science Corner, SuppCo’s head of science Dr. Jordan Glenn overviewed the often under-appreciated effects of zinc in the body. While vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and magnesium are typically front and center in supplement routines, zinc tends to be a less common star of supplement stacks.
Despite having less celebrity around it, zinc can play a key role in supporting immune health and hormone health and is part of a number of SuppCo Expert Protocols:
Zinc in SuppCo Stacks
Although zinc may not come to mind for many folks when building a supplement stack, 48% of SuppCo users have zinc in their supplement routine.
This is driven mostly through multivitamins, which typically contain zinc in their coverage of key minerals. 63% of SuppCo users with zinc in their stack get their zinc through a multivitamin.
Outside of multivitamins, the most common source of zinc in SuppCo stacks is standalone zinc products, which account for 23% of users taking zinc.
Less popular among the SuppCo community are calcium-magnesium-zinc combination products, which deliver what’s often referred to as “core critical minerals” in a single product. Only 2% of SuppCo users get their zinc through a calcium-magnesium-zinc product.
How Much is Too Much
While zinc supplementation can be helpful for boosting health and wellness goals, more is not better when it comes to zinc.
Too much zinc in the body can lead to zinc toxicity and problems with copper absorption. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for zinc is 8 mg/day for adult women and 11 mg/day for adult men, with a tolerable upper limit of 40 mg/day.
Looking across SuppCo stack data, most of our community is right on the money when it comes to zinc doses. Median daily intake across SuppCo users taking zinc is 15mg.
The 90th percentile of zinc takers have an average daily dose of 45 mg/day, slightly higher than the daily upper limit. If you think you may be in that top 10% of zinc intake, it’s worth doing a check of your daily nutrient totals in your My Stack view.
Popular Products
When it comes to standalone zinc products, here are the 3 most popluar products among SuppCo users:
1️⃣ Nature’s Bounty Zinc 50mg. While this is the most popular standalone Zinc product among SuppCo users, it's worth noting that its per-serving dose (50mg) is above the daily recommended upper limit.
2️⃣ Pure Encapsulations Zinc 30mg
3️⃣ Thorne Zinc Picolinate 30 mg
Ask the SuppCo Community
Do you have zinc questions you want to ask the SuppCo community directly? Comment on this article with your questions or explore ongoing conversations happening in our Community section.
That’s all for this week’s Digest. Cheers to making sense of supplements together!