Growth, wound healing, immune defense - zinc is involved in many biological processes. However, the trace element is only stored in small quantities in the body, which is why regular intake through food is important. In Germany there are no problems with this: Those who eat a balanced diet take in sufficient zinc. Read more about the diverse effects of zinc in the body and the recommendations for daily zinc intake here!
Zinc is a vital trace element. It occurs in skin , hair, bones, eyes, liver and in the male reproductive organs. The body cannot produce the trace element itself and can only store it for a short time and in a very small amount (around 2 mg). Zinc must therefore be supplied from the outside on a regular basis. This is usually done through food - with a light full-food diet according to the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), an adequate zinc supply is not a problem.
Studies show that the population in Germany is well supplied with zinc. One of the reasons for this is that the soils in this country contain a relatively large amount of zinc, which is found in the cultivated grain, legumes and vegetables. The most important supplier of zinc, however, is meat (especially beef, pork, poultry), which many people in Germany regularly eat.
Plant foods such as vegetables, legumes, and grains contain somewhat lower amounts of zinc than meat. In addition, the body can only absorb zinc from plant-based products to a limited extent. The reason for this is the phytate it also contains - an essential substance for plants that is needed for photosynthesis, among other things.
In the human intestine , however, phytate binds various micronutrients, including zinc. The trace element can then no longer pass through the intestinal wall into the blood . With a purely plant-based diet, up to 45 percent less zinc can be absorbed than with a mixed diet made from plant-based and animal-based foods. Accordingly, more foods containing zinc must be consumed to meet the demand.
Zinc is an important component of numerous enzymes and thus participates in many biological processes in the body, for example:
The body needs sufficient zinc so that all these vital processes can run smoothly.
How much zinc a person needs every day depends on various factors. For example, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) takes age, gender and (in adults) dietary phytate intake into account in its recommendations for daily zinc intake.
According to the DGE, the following recommendations apply to children and adolescents regarding the daily intake of zinc:
| Age | male | Female |
| 0 to 3 months | 1.5 mg / day | |
| 4 to 12 months | 2.5 mg / day | |
| 1 to 3 years | 3 mg / day | |
| 4 to 6 years | 4 mg / day | |
| 7 to 9 years | 6 mg / day | |
| 10 to 12 years | 9 mg / day | 8 mg / day |
| 13 to 14 years | 12 mg / day | 10 mg / day |
| 15 to 18 years | 14 mg / day | 11 mg / day |
In adults, age no longer plays a role in terms of the recommended zinc intake, but the proportion of phytate in the usual diet. The DGE differentiates between low, medium and high phytate intake:
Against this background, the following recommendations for daily zinc intake apply to men, as well as non-pregnant and non-breastfeeding women :
| Men | Women | |
| low phytate intake | 11 mg / day | 7 mg / day |
| medium phytate intake | 14 mg / day | 8 mg / day |
| high phytate intake | 16 mg / day | 10 mg / day |
The need for zinc is increased during pregnancy and breastfeeding , after all, the trace element is important for cell growth and cell division, among other things. The following recommendations therefore apply here (for pregnant women, depending on the third trimester of pregnancy):
| 1st trimester | 2nd and 3rd trimester | Breastfeeding | |
| low phytate intake | 7 mg / day | 9 mg / day | 11 mg / day |
| medium phytate intake | 9 mg / day | 11 mg / day | 13 mg / day |
| high phytate intake | 11 mg / day | 13 mg / day | 14 mg / day |
When it comes to the zinc supply, meat lovers can look forward to it: beef, pork and poultry contain a particularly large amount of the trace element. Other animal foods, such as cheese and eggs, are also good sources of zinc. But vegetarians and vegans can also secure their zinc supply with simple means.
As a rule, the body receives enough zinc from food to meet its daily needs. This is why zinc deficiency rarely occurs, at least in industrialized countries - for example, when the absorption of the trace elements is impaired due to a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. In such cases, the zinc deficiency can manifest itself on the skin (inflammatory changes, impaired wound healing) or in the immune defense system (increased susceptibility to infection ). Then it can be useful to take zinc as a dietary supplement.
You can read more about the signs and risk factors for zinc deficiency and the options for treatment in the article Zinc Deficiency .
Too much zinc is more likely than a zinc deficiency, at least in this country. This is because the recommended daily ration is usually easily taken in with food. But many people also use zinc in the form of dietary supplements - to compensate for an alleged undersupply, in the belief that they are "doing something good" or in the hope of keeping colds and the like at bay.
In such cases, an overdose can quickly occur - with not inconsiderable consequences. Because the heavy metal zinc can cause symptoms of poisoning in high doses such as:
In addition, high doses of zinc can impair the absorption of copper . This can lead to a copper deficiency in the body - with anemia and neurological disorders as possible consequences.
Against this background, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends a maximum value of 6.5 mg zinc for food supplements . In addition, all products with more than 3.5 mg zinc should have a label that prompts consumers to consume less zinc-containing foods while ingesting them. This should prevent an oversupply of zinc .