Zincis an essential mineral thats naturally found in many foods.
Skin rashes and frequent colds are common symptoms of zinc deficiency.
This article discusses the symptoms and causes of zinc deficiency.
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It also covers how it’s diagnosed and what you might do to treat it.
Symptoms
Low zinc can cause symptoms but they may not be noticeable right away.
The symptoms of a zinc deficiency often do not start until levels have been low for several months.
Some chronic health conditions likesickle cell diseasecan also make you more likely to become deficient in zinc.
Babies who develop a zinc deficiency can have slowed growth and may have trouble gaining weight.
You may want to talk to your provider about nutritional supplements if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
If you’re concerned about your child’s nutrition, talk to your pediatrician.
Causes
A zinc deficiency can be brought on by not getting enough zinc in your diet.
Diagnosis
The symptoms of zinc deficiency are non-specific, so it can be hard to diagnose.
Many of the symptoms of a zinc deficiency are also symptoms of other nutritional deficiencies and medical conditions.
For example, infections,anemia, andthyroid diseaseoften cause symptoms similar to the ones because of zinc deficiency.
The diagnosis of zinc deficiency can be hard because it isn’t a standard blood test.
Your provider will take a detailed medical history and do a physical examination.
You may also need diagnostic tests as part of your evaluation, such as blood tests.
A mild zinc deficiency may not show up on a blood test for zinc levels.
you’re free to have a normal blood zinc level even if you have a slight deficiency.
You may also need to take a dietary supplement.
Once you start eating more zinc-rich foods and/or taking a supplement, your symptoms will probably get better.
Taking zinc supplements can affect yourcopperlevels.
Your provider might recommend youtake a zinc supplementthat also has copper in it to help prevent a copper deficiency.
Zinc Toxicity
It is possible to take too much zinc.
Therefore, many companies have pulled them from the market.
Your provider might want you to take a zinc supplement to help get your levels up.
National Institute of Health.Zinc.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.Toxicological profile for zinc.
2019 Jul 12. pii: S0923-1811(19)30197-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2019.07.004.
