Zinc – Solgar – Supplement Review

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Solgar’s Zinc supplement provides 50mg of Zinc (gluconate) in 100 tablets. Solgar is a well renowned supplement brand, and the quality of the supplements are good.

This supplement’s purpose would be to solve a Zinc deficiency, which is indicated by the symptoms of hair loss, nail changes, diarrhoea, frequent infections, an irritable mood, loss of appetite, impotence, eye problems, weight loss, slow wound healing and a lack of taste and smell.

The main cause of this deficiency is lacking sufficient amounts in your diet or poor digestive capability.  Zinc is important in the body for it’s role in helping enzymes carry out vital chemical roles such as supporting the immune system and healing wounds.

Skin improvements caused by deficiency should be evident within a week of taking a Zinc supplements, however it might take 3 months of supplementation to recover from a severe deficiency.

On the other side, too much zinc can also be harmful and cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, lowered immunity and loss of appetite. Zinc reduces the amount of copper in your body and high dosages can cause copper deficiency as a knock on effect. There is also a risk of anaemia with taking this supplement long term.

There is research that indicates taking zinc supplementation at the start of a cold can reduce its duration.

The recommended dosages of zinc vary, some recommend a max of 40mg, some 30mg, some others 150mg for “free zinc”. There are actually various forms of Zinc, with varying degrees of elemental zinc contained in them, and varying absorption rates. This supplement is Zinc Gluconate which is composed of 14.3% elemental zinc. However it’s unclear as to whether these values are accurate. Either way, it seems that this supplement is on the high end for zinc supplementation, so be careful with any side effects.

I personally did not feel any different taking the medication for a month, since perhaps I don’t have zinc deficiency, but will try it the next time I begin to have a cold, to see if I get over the cold quicker.