4 Supplements and Medications to Avoid With Zinc

With cold and flu season in full swing, you might turn to zinc for added protection. The mineral is important for immune function, so it is a popular supplement or additive to lozenges, gummies, powders and other immunity-boosting products.

However, if you are adding zinc to your daily routine, it is important to first evaluate your current supplement and medication regimen. Combining zinc with certain products could lead to unintended consequences.

If you’re taking any of these four medications and supplements, you may want to think twice before starting a zinc supplement, experts said.

Iron is an essential ingredient in hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that helps move oxygen from the lungs to other cells in the body. It is also important for hormone production.

However, iron can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb zinc. In fact, research has shown that taking an iron supplement greater than 25 milligrams (mg) can lead to decreased zinc concentrations in the body.

Interestingly, the opposite doesn’t seem to be true: Research is mixed, but most studies show that zinc supplements have no negative effects on iron levels.

But if you want to get the most benefits from your iron and zinc supplements, it’s best not to take them together.

Magnesium is a popular supplement for sleep and relaxation, and it is also involved in the regulation of blood sugar, muscle and nerve function, and other important bodily processes.

But taking high doses of zinc – at least 142 mg per day via a supplement – ​​can affect magnesium absorption and the body’s balance.

Calcium is important for keeping your bones and teeth healthy. But as with the other minerals on this list, taking zinc and calcium at the same time may not be the best choice.

Some research suggests that taking high doses of calcium may affect the body’s absorption of zinc. This has also been shown in animal studies.

However, other research found the opposite: participants who took more saw no change in their zinc levels. The interaction between these two minerals is a subject that scientists continue to study.

Depending on the type of antibiotics you take, you may want to avoid zinc.

The mineral may interact with quinolone antibiotics (like Cipro), which are used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, said Maria Pino, PhD, a pharmacist and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology. Health.

The same goes for tetracyclines, another class of antibiotics used to treat acne and other infections.

“Zinc would decrease the effectiveness of the antibiotic,” Pino said. “It wouldn’t cause real harm, but it wouldn’t make the drug effective, and it might lead to improvement.”

And these interactions are two-way: antibiotics could also impair the body’s ability to absorb zinc.

In the body, zinc is generally divalent, meaning it has a positive charge. The same goes for magnesium, calcium and iron.

Because these minerals all have similar electrical charges, they all rely on the same proteins to get from the gut to the bloodstream, explained Erin Barrett, PhD, a nutritional biochemist and senior director of product innovation and scientific affairs at Shaklee, a supplement company.

An excess of minerals simultaneously trying to move on the same transport protein means the body can’t absorb it all. Essentially, “other minerals can compete with zinc for absorption,” Barrett said. Health.

The same goes for quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics: these drugs don’t necessarily compete with zinc, but they can bind to these positively charged minerals. This creates a molecule that the body cannot absorb well.

These absorption problems aren’t necessarily dangerous, but they could be a concern for people with nutritional deficiencies or those trying to treat an infection.

Minerals occur naturally in foods, but harmful interactions or absorption problems generally do not occur. The problem arises more with supplements, since “you’re providing a very high percentage of the daily value of that mineral,” Barrett said.

This means it’s best to get the zinc and other minerals you need from your diet. Good sources of zinc include:

Meanwhile, yogurt and milk are good sources of calcium, lean meat and nuts contain iron, and seeds and leafy greens are full of magnesium.

But it is not always possible to get enough vitamins and minerals in our diet. “Iron, calcium, and magnesium are nutrients that many of us don’t get enough of in our diets,” Barrett explained, so some people need an extra dose from a supplement.

If this is the case – or if you’ve been prescribed an antibiotic – experts recommend taking a zinc supplement separately from other medications and supplements, spacing them out about two to four hours apart. You may also want to purchase individual mineral supplements rather than taking a multivitamin, Barrett added.

“You can divide them: take the zinc in the morning and a few hours later or in the evening you can take the calcium,” she explained.

Of course, it’s essential that you talk to a doctor before you start taking zinc or any other supplement, especially if you’re already taking other medications or supplements, Pino added.