Zinc in diet

Alternative names:

diet and zinc

Side effects:

Symptoms associated with zinc deficiency include:

• slow growth
• poor appetite
• decrease in wound healing
• loss of hair
• taste - impaired
• smell, impaired
• hypogonadism in males
• more frequent infections
• inability or difficulty in adapting vision to the dark

Zinc is one of the least toxic of the trace elements. Zinc supplements in large amounts (for example, 70 to 100 times the recommended amounts) may cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting that occur within 3 to 10 hours of the ingestion of the supplements. The symptoms diminish within a short period of time after the discontinuation of the supplements.

The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins and minerals is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods from the food guide pyramid.