You’ve no doubt heard by now about the potential advantages of taking vitamin and mineral supplements when it comes to boosting your overall health and filling in any nutritional gaps that appear in your diet. However, you may not be aware of the unique benefits that the individual types of micronutrients present in your multivitamin can provide. Zinc, a common ingredient in most multivitamins, is an essential trace element that boosts your immune system and metabolism (1). But aside from its necessity in your body’s cells and DNA, what is zinc good for in terms of more topical health benefits? In this article, we will explore some of the specific advantages that regularly consuming the best zinc supplement can provide, including zinc benefits for your skin and your hormone levels. We will also guide you through the best time to take a zinc supplement as well as the correct dosage and any potential side effects.

Let’s begin by discussing liquid zinc benefits in particular. Taking zinc tablets benefits your body as well, of course, but liquid supplements represent a much more efficient alternative to most chewables and capsules when it comes to absorption. With solid supplements, the nutrients they contain are locked inside a barrier of solid substance that must be broken down before your body can absorb your dosage. This extra step can be quite slow at times, especially for anyone who has problems with digestion. If your body takes too long to break down the barrier, then you run the risk of missing out on some of the valuable nutrients in your supplement, as they can pass back out of your body prior to being fully absorbed. In order to maximize your body’s absorption, you should take a liquid supplement instead. Liquid vitamins and minerals contain nutrients that are already in their liquid forms with no barriers to digest, allowing your body to absorb them into your bloodstream right away. Plus, there is an added benefit for those suffering from dysphagia and for picky eaters who don’t like to swallow pills.

Zinc Benefits For Skin

The benefits of zinc for skin are nearly endless, as it is a powerful anti-inflammatory nutrient. Many common skin conditions, including eczema, melasma, seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, and particularly acne, both moderate and severe, often result in redness and irritation on the surface of the skin (2). Zinc’s anti-inflammatory properties help to reduce these symptoms and keep your skin feeling fresher and healthier. Similarly, zinc also has the potential to lessen typical signs of aging in skin, including wrinkles, lines, and spots, maintaining a youthful glow while simultaneously fighting back against the pain and discomfort of acne (3). Essentially, the topical zinc benefits for skin include encouraging the production of new, healthy skin cells, decreasing the common signs of maturing skin, and reducing redness and irritation on the skin’s surface. 

But the zinc benefits for skin can also reach a bit deeper as well, thanks to the vital role zinc plays in cell growth and collagen production. Collagen is the structural protein that forms skin, and the enzymes that produce this protein are dependent on zinc (4). Not providing your body with enough zinc on a regular basis may lead to rougher-feeling skin and also decrease your wound-healing ability. If you suffer from acne or eczema, you may experience frequent scarring on your face, arms, and other areas of your body. For this reason, it’s even more important to make sure you have enough zinc in your diet, whether via the food you eat or a supplement, as your skin relies on zinc to help it produce enough collagen to repair lesions properly and prevent scarring. 

Benefits Of Zinc Sexually

One of the most common inquiries about zinc supplements are the benefits of zinc sexually and whether or not it has the potential to boost your body’s levels of sex hormones such as testosterone and prolactin. Though these hormones are typically discussed in the context of men, in this section, rather than breaking things down into zinc benefits for men and zinc benefits for women, we will simply be focusing on how zinc affects testosterone and what are the best ways to take zinc in order to increase your testosterone levels.

Low testosterone levels can come from a variety of sources, including genetic illnesses, obesity, and even testicular injuries, but one cause of low testosterone that is sometimes overlooked and quite often the case is zinc deficiency (5). Since erectile dysfunction and decreased sexual performance are commonly linked with low testosterone levels, those who suffer from these conditions may benefit from adding a zinc supplement to their diet, especially if they have been diagnosed with a zinc deficiency. You should always consult your physician before starting with a new supplement regimen, but liquid zinc is definitely an option to keep in mind. The zinc dosage for erectile dysfunction will be identical to the normal daily dosage of zinc required to maintain health for anyone, regardless of age or gender. In fact, taking more zinc than you need will not increase sexual performance and can run the risk of developing stomach issues if too much is taken over a long period.

Similar to its dosage instructions, the best time to take zinc for testosterone will be the same as the best time to take zinc in general, as your body will utilize it the same way regardless of day or night. If you take zinc before bed, testosterone levels should gradually increase just the same as if you took it earlier in the day. However, there are various factors that come into play when taking supplements close to bedtime which we will discuss in the next section, so read on to make sure you find the right time of the day to make the most out of your dosage.

Best Time To Take Zinc Supplement

People often question what time they should be taking their supplements to make the most out of them, especially when taking a combination of vitamins and minerals together. But whether you’re wondering the best time to take zinc and vitamin C or the best time to take zinc and vitamin D, the answers will usually be identical. Zinc supplements metabolize in your body exactly the same way regardless of what you take them with or when you take them, whether in the morning, afternoon, or night. The only differences that affect the best time to take zinc supplement for you are your body’s unique needs and your typical daily routine. 

Zinc is best absorbed by the body when taken 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals. However, zinc may cause intestinal discomfort when consumed on an empty stomach, so feel free to take your supplement alongside your meal as well. Depending on how efficiently your body absorbs nutrients, you can take zinc at any time of the day. However, if you have found that you have particular issues with absorption, then you may want to consider taking not only your zinc supplements, but all your supplements a considerable amount of time before bed. Since digestion slows down during sleep, your body’s absorption rates may slow down even more overnight, so you should try to give it enough time to absorb your dosage prior to falling asleep.

If you don’t typically experience issues with absorption, but perhaps you have trouble sleeping, then you may want to take your zinc supplement a bit later in the evening. Although zinc does not necessarily trigger sleep, having an adequate amount of zinc in the bloodstream may lead to increased sleep latency, lessening the amount of time it takes to fall asleep on average (6). So, the best time to take zinc for sleep is about an hour or two before you lay down, giving your body ample time to absorb this key nutrient into your bloodstream and hopefully assist you in falling asleep sooner and staying asleep longer.

Zinc Daily Dose

It can sometimes be hard to find the answers that you need when it comes to dosage. Common questions like “How much zinc is too much?” or “How much zinc per day for a woman?” and “How much zinc per day for a man?” may have conflicting answers from different sources. Generally, the zinc dosage for most people is going to be about the same, ranging from 10-15 mg per day, with that level increasing in special circumstances. The zinc daily dose for different age groups as outlined by the Mayo Clinic is as follows (7):

• Adult and teenage males: 15 mg per day.
• Adult and teenage females: 12 mg per day.
• Pregnant individuals: 15 mg per day.
• Nursing individuals: 16 to 19 mg per day.
• Children 4 to 10 years of age: 10 mg per day.
• Children 0 to 3 years of age: 5 to 10 mg per day.

Some of the special circumstances that may require a slightly higher zinc intake are pregnant individuals and the elderly. Zinc is extremely important for healthy growth and development in children, making it an essential nutrient for pregnant or nursing parents. The zinc dosage for elderly people may be a bit higher as well because of zinc’s abilities to boost the immune system. Over time, the immune system has a tendency to degenerate, so older individuals can be more prone to developing a zinc deficiency. Keep in mind that it’s generally difficult to overdose on zinc as long as you refrain from taking immense amounts of supplements over long periods of time. If you’re wondering something like “Is 50mg of zinc too much for a teenager?” the answer is yes, as 50mg daily of nearly any vitamin or mineral would be excessive.

Zinc Side Effects

As we mentioned, overdosing on zinc is not a common occurrence as long as you stay within the typical daily recommended amounts of the nutrient or follow along with the instructions of your physician. However, if you do end up taking too much zinc, symptoms can occur. Typical zinc side effects include indigestion, diarrhea, headache, nausea, and vomiting (8). Taking more than the recommended amount of zinc over an extended period can also lead to copper deficiency, which itself may cause numbness and neurological issues. 

People often wonder if there are added side effects when taking zinc along with another vitamin, such as side effects of zinc and vitamin C together. Vitamin C and zinc side effects are largely the same whether they are taken together or not, and both can be avoided as long as you stay within the recommended daily amounts of both nutrients. This same logic applies to just about any combination of nutrients.

One of the best ways to ensure that you are always taking a healthy amount of zinc and other vital nutrients is to take a liquid multivitamin. The best liquid multivitamin for all ages is Better Family’s Liquid Daily Multivitamin. On top of the daily recommended amount of zinc, our diverse blend of vital micronutrients includes all of the B complex vitamins, vitamins A, E, D, and K, and important minerals like iodine, selenium, and chromium. This all-in-one liquid solution can be consumed sublingually and is more concentrated than other liquid multivitamins, making it the standout choice for fast absorption of only the highest quality micronutrients. Both safe and effective, our Liquid Daily Multivitamin is a great choice for any household and can be given to family members of all ages.

Resources

1. “Zinc - Uses, Side Effects, And More.” WebMD, 2018, https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-982/zinc.
2. Cherny, Kristeen. “Can You Use Zinc for Acne Spots and Scars?” healthline, 8 March, 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/zinc-for-acne.
3. Jahns, Erin & Carolyn Hanson. “Should You Be Taking Zinc for Better Skin? Experts Weigh In.” Byrdie, 30 September 2021, https://www.byrdie.com/zinc-for-skin.
4. “The effect of zinc on skin.” Aesthetic Medicine, https://aestheticmed.co.uk/site/featuresdetails/the-effect-of-zinc-on-skin.
5. Ellis, Mary Ellen. “Connecting Testosterone and Zinc.” healthline, 6 March 2017, https://www.healthline.com/health/testosterone-and-zinc.
6. “Zinc Supplement (Oral Route, Parenteral Route).” Mayo Clinic, 1 July 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/zinc-supplement-oral-route-parenteral-route/proper-use/drg-20070269.
7. Marano, Hara Estroff. “Zzzz-Zinc.” Psychology Today, 3 September 2018, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201807/zzzz-zinc.
8. Mayo Clinic Staff. “Zinc.” Mayo Clinic, 17 November 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-zinc/art-20366112.