Do you take Zinc within a multi-vitamin or supplement? I was told yesterday that Zinc is great support for the immune system. Wonder if that holds true for older Seniors in their early 70's? The girl that told us that she takes Zinc is like 46 years old, which is, obviously, much younger than we are at 27 years older. The Zinc we take is in Puritans Pride ABC Plus Senior Multi-Vitamin, but it's Zinc Oxide, that is primarily for skin like sunscreen is. Zinc Gluconate and Zinc Citrate is for the immune system. The Zinc Oxide in our multi-vitamin is 11mg, which is the recommended mg amount. Wonder if we need the Puritans Pride (or whatever brand) Mega Vitamin for Seniors that has Zinc Gluconate in it at 15mg or a separate supplement vitamin of just Zinc Gluconate itself. I did ask my VA doctor and he, basically, knew nothing about the vitamin.
Ok, Ken, but what I'm asking about is the kind of Zinc and the milligram amount. You take it daily in the AM? The kind should say on the bottle.
Actually, the only questions in your OP were about whether we take Zinc within a multi-vitamin or supplement, and whether this (support for the immune system) holds true for older Seniors in their early 70s. I didn't see a question about the milligram amount. I was answering the question about whether I take Zinc in the affirmative, although I didn't go into detail. I don't take multi-vitamins, so it's a dietary supplement, at 40 mg.
Ken, your right, I didn't ask for the mg amount, but did state the mg amount we are currently taking and that the other multi-vitamin has a little more. But, get this Ken, I sent an IM to my SIL asking her about Zinc and she IM me back with all of the vitamins she takes. I only ask her about Zinc and nothing else. Guess, since my VA doctor wouldn't tell me much, I'd bring the question about Zinc to the forum. From what I read, Zinc Oxide definitely isn't the same as Zinc Gluconate or Zinc Citrate. The later two are better than the Oxide. Just trying to get some info, that's all. LOL
Zinc inhibits viral replication. That is why many, including me, take it. It also is a cofactor for a number of enzymatic reactions in the body and is helpful for the prostate in older me, particularly. Sorry your VA doc doesn't have a clue. Is it a doctor you see or a mid-level? I think it has been discussed here before in regard to Covid perhaps. Zinc has difficulty crossing the cell membrane without an ionophore to help it, so a safe thing is to take quercetin in addition to zinc unless your multivitamin contains it. If you are a Puritan's Pride customer you can email them your questions and they may help if it is about the supplements they provide or manufacture. Just like so many things, don't take a large amount of zinc (or anything else) without consulting someone as it may cause issues with other minerals (zinc is a trace mineral, not a vitamin). 15 mg is not a large amount, however.
Just to add….. The one benefit between taking straight zinc and the zinc gluconate is that the gluconate is water soluble ergo you have less chance of overloading. Zinc by itself is fat soluble and can get toxic and cause a myriad of problems if one employs higher doses. The only other thing I can really harp on is that due to the Covid scare, people are taking more zinc without looking at it’s effects on magnesium. It’s an important balancing act. Magnesium helps regulate zinc and if one takes too much zinc the absorption rate of magnesium is greatly reduced and can also cause a total depletion of the mineral. Then there’s the vitamin D (it’s not a vitamin) debacle in which if ya don’t get enough D then there are problems with the metabolization of magnesium and calcium. Again, it’s a balancing act. I think Puritan’s Pride puts out a cal, mag, zinc product in which the three are pretty well balanced. Add 3k or so units of D3 and no worries.
We take Magnesium for leg/foot cramps. Like I stated in my first post, the Zinc that is in our Puritan's Pride Senior Multi is Zinc Oxide 10mg, when isn't the type of Zinc I was told about/read about. Zinc Gluconate is for the immune system, etc.. So, instead of getting a Mega Senior Multi, which consists of more milligrams of each vitamin, I bought a bottle of Nature Made 30mg Zinc Gluconate and will try that out.
Copper can also be an issue, and there may be others that are not apparent. A bit like endocrinology, nutritional supplementation is interactive.
I have been reading about this and how rich a source of both zinc and copper is in oysters. We have some cans that my daughter gave us before she went overseas, so I am going to start having a can of them more often, so be sure i am getting enough of both minerals. Here is what I found for the amounts of each mineral in 100 grams of oysters. Oysters are incredibly rich in both zinc and copper. Here’s a breakdown of their content: Zinc: A 100-gram serving of oysters provides about 90 mg of zinc1. This is significantly higher than most other foods and covers a substantial portion of the daily recommended intake. Copper: The same 100-gram serving contains approximately 4 mg of copper1.
I have been eating the smoked oysters for almost a month now. I do not eat a can every day, but try to have them at least several times a week, as well as having at least one liver meal, because it is also rich in vitamins and minerals like copper and zinc. I have also ordered some sparkling mineral water to drink. I do have the Soda Stream so I can make carbonated water, and I have been doing that, but even when we filter it , there is still some fluoride and other contaminants in it, and maybe not much minerals. So, I decided that I will try drinking regular mineral water. When we lived in Idaho and had the restaurant, we had our own well, and that water was probably the best tasting water that I have ever had. Since it came from the high mountains, it probably had minerals in it, too.
I drink club soda in small glass bottles. I like the fizz in carbonated beverages. But not the chemicals and sugars. I try to stay away from plastic as much as possible. I save the tops and bottles to use later for travel. I keep them in the cooler in van.
The zinc in my daily multivitamin is zinc oxide also, and it is 11mg, just like yours is, @Cody Fousnaugh . However, I also take 50 mg of zinc gluconate every day as well, along with my other supplements. I take the multi vitamin just to make sure that I get some of the vitamins or minerals that i am not getting enough of in my diet or my supplements that I take every day. I also try to eat foods that have zinc in them, like the oysters and the liver. It is important to always take all vitamins along with some kind of food because our body does not recognize a vitamin tablet as food and just passes it on through and doesn’t even try to digest it. If you take it with food, then the stomach processes the vitamins along with whatever food you are eating. When it is a vitamin that needs oil to digest, then it is important to eat some kind of food that has some oil in it, like an avocado, as opposed to an apple , which has no oil.
Most oxides of metals are not very digestible. It is a bit like eating rust for iron. Some inorganic salts like citrate are better absorbed than the oxides The organic salts and complexes are probably the best, like gluconate and glycinate, but the form of the metal is important as well, such as ferrous vs ferric iron. As Yvonne said, getting micronutrients are best gotten from food if you can, since the co-factors that your body requires to utilize the minerals will come in the food but may not be included in the supplements.
If you need zinc, lick a penny. You first have to get through the copper coating, but from there on, it's mostly zinc. Copper is good for enzyme activity, iron absorption, connective tissue formation, immune function, and nervous system health, so you could probably eat the whole thing. Keep in mind, however, that I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.