Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I know there have been other threads in which this has come up, but I've seen some conflicting answers. I've been experimenting with (re)introducing zinc supplementation. I took 30 mg of zinc a couple of hours ago (about an hour or two before dinner) and now have a distinct metallic taste in my mouth. I also noticed this the last time I took this particular brand. I've also taken ZMA in the past and never noticed this (though I might have just slept through it).

Does this mean I'm topped off, or is it a sign that my levels are marginal? And, if I'm topped off, am I in any way risking toxicity by continuing to supplement what seems like a pretty modest dose of zinc?

I think I'm more likely to be replete than deficient (I eat a lot of red meat), but I also lift heavy regularly, which I understand can increase zinc losses.

edited Dec 4 2011 at 19:40

asked Dec 4 2011 at 4:13

agarageband
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Rogue Nutritionist · Answer 1 · 2011-12-04 05:21:55Z UTC

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I do a zinc taste test to discover if a client is sufficient in zinc...they swish aqueous zinc for thirty seconds, and if it tastes disgusting, they don't need zinc, if there is no taste, or barely a taste, they are deficient. Doing this test periodically during supplementation will let us know when the person becomes sufficient in zinc.

answered Dec 4 2011 at 5:21

Rogue Nutritionist
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Yep... this one! – SuZQ Dec 4 2011 at 15:04

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I question the reliability of the zinc taste test. There is only one study confirming some association with serum zinc, which isn't a great measure of zinc status anyway. – Jay Dec 6 2011 at 0:06

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@Jay: Serum zinc is basically useless. If its low it can well be that you have a storage problem and high tissue levels, if its high the opposite can be the case... that being said, the "taste test" certainly is not more reliable :) only in March 2011 an article in a German medical journal (Classen HG, Gröber U, Loew D, Schmidt J, Stracke H. Zink-Mangel: Symptome, Ursachen, Diagnose und Therapie: MMP 2011; 3: 87-95.) mentions that with the execption of full-blown deficiency serum zinc tests are of little diagnostic value – Adel Dec 11 2011 at 7:33

Can I just add a capsule of zinc picolinate to distilled water and do this test or do I have to buy a special water suspension? – Aughra Feb 7 2012 at 19:54

I was taught using aqueous zinc, so I'm not sure, but I think the results would likely be different. – Rogue Nutritionist Feb 9 2012 at 0:07

Adel · Answer 2 · 2011-12-04 11:24:24Z UTC

what form of zinc is it you are taking? The taste test won't work with the Zinc in ZMA, which - bound to aspartate (if original ZMA) - has no taste at all... and YES you can (I suppose a lot of people actually do) create profound copper / iron imbalances by taking too much zinc chronically.

Cell Biochem Funct. 2009 Apr;27(3):162-6. Effect of zinc supplementation on the antioxidant, copper, and iron status of physically active adolescents. de Oliveira Kde J, Donangelo CM, de Oliveira AV Jr, da Silveira CL, Koury JC. Source

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Química, Departamento de Bioquímica, Brazil. Abstract

Puberty associated with intense physical activity results in oxidation stress. Zinc supplementation may benefit antioxidant capacity although it may also affect iron and copper status. This study evaluated the effect of zinc supplementation on antioxidant, zinc and copper status of physically active male football players (13 years +/- 0.4 years), divided in two groups and studied during 12 weeks: Zn-supplemented (Zn-SUP, 22 mg Zn d(-1) as zinc gluconate, n = 21) and placebo (PLA, n = 26). At baseline, there was no significant difference in biochemical indices between the two groups. After treatment, plasma zinc and erythrocyte iron increased in both groups (p < 0.001); urinary zinc increased (p < 0.001) only in Zn-SUP, and erythrocyte zinc decreased (p = 0.002) only in PLA. Plasma iron and copper decreased (p = 0.01 and p = 0.015, respectively) only in Zn-SUP. Plasma ferric-reducing ability and plasma conjugated dienes increased, and erythrocyte osmotic fragility decrease in both groups, although the latter two were significantly lower in Zn-SUP compared to PLA (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our study indicates that the use of 22 mg d(-1) of supplemental zinc during 12 week in adolescent athletes did not affect growth, improved markers of antioxidant status but reduced plasma iron and copper. Therefore, it appears that the use of zinc supplementation by healthy adolescent athletes benefits their antioxidant capacity but impairs copper and iron nutritional status.

2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chris · Answer 3 · 2012-02-07 19:52:06Z UTC

While serum zinc may be of little use in determining if you are replete, if the level is too far one way or the other from 110 then you have a good reason to start digging further. I appear to have caused a major copper depletion issue for myself just by taking zinc 30mg/day.

Erica · Answer 4 · 2011-12-04 21:29:12Z UTC

This is strangely connected to a recent situation of mine- I was eating dark chocolate a little too often, and I think it was throwing off my copper/zinc balance. My skin was looking awful, I felt tired, my knuckles were red and cracked, and whenever I'd eat the chocolate my teeth would feel sensitive and I had this funny metallic taste in my mouth. I stopped eating chocolate a week and a half ago, and I feel 100% improved and my skin is back to its glowing self...

Ludo · Answer 5 · 2012-04-24 23:33:15Z UTC

I also experience something similar, I've had a metallic taste in my mouth for the past 3 days and I think it might be due to zinc supplementation; I've been taking 50mg everyday for the past week. I'll stop tomorrow and see if it gets better.

Still, I'm wondering, do you think it is due to excess zinc or to copper deficiency, since zinc apprently competes with copper?

Metallic taste in mouth post-zinc: Am I replete or deficient?

5 Answers