Thoughts On Zinc?

[Connor888]

I would love to hear what type & dose of zinc Ray recommends, but I've been taking 15mg of zinc picolinate these past two days and i feel noticeably better. I have chronic fatigue and I haven't really felt the energy crashes I normally get. Honestly, my energy feels 30% improved already. I feel an overall sense of well being too, and my eye strain is not as bad when using the computer. Not sure if thats a coincidence though!

Anyone else tried Zinc??

 

[Flo93]

Yeah, I like zinc a lot too. It gives me an effect similar to what I get from aspirin. Possibly by inhibiting aromatase?

I take 30 mg of zinc a day. It's a gluconate-histidine compound.

 

[ursidae]

I’m taking the now Foods zinc picolinate because I’m still getting white nail spots eating beef and oysters regularly. Oysters make me feel amazing and beef is also great, but it’s more of a grounding feeling. Supplemental zinc on the other hand induces weird mental states in me every single time. There was a point in my life when I was free of PCOS but had morbid intrusive thoughts, complete lack of empathy and severe paranoia that nearly drove me suicidal. It lasted four months, came out of nowhere and disappeared the same way. I thought I was insane and never considered that it had a physical basis. Once it was gone physical issues replaced it and then I started playing around with supplements trying to fix them. I noticed I had white spots on my nails and started taking small doses of zinc citrate. It’s low absorption and a small dose but it was enough to induce that ruthless paranoid state of mind. Now, a week into supplementing zinc anxiety and the morbid intrusive thoughts are slowly creeping in again.

 

[james2388]

What has your beef and liver intake been like? Usually people with deficiencies do not eat enough of these major sources of zinc as well as shellfish as well. Do you eat canned clams or oyster? Zinc is a great mineral for metabolism, great for the liver.

 

[mrchibbs]

What has your beef and liver intake been like? Usually people with deficiencies do not eat enough of these major sources of zinc as well as shellfish as well. Do you eat canned clams or oyster? Zinc is a great mineral for metabolism, great for the liver.

Definitely why Ray recommends oysters, best way to get zinc by far. I don't think Ray has ever told anybody to take supplemental zinc.

 

[Connor888]

Definitely why Ray recommends oysters, best way to get zinc by far. I don't think Ray has ever told anybody to take supplemental zinc.

Does chicken liver have a decent amount of zinc? I eat my liver once a week but we need a regular daily supply right?

 

[gately]

I’m taking the now Foods zinc picolinate because I’m still getting white nail spots eating beef and oysters regularly. Oysters make me feel amazing and beef is also great, but it’s more of a grounding feeling. Supplemental zinc on the other hand induces weird mental states in me every single time. There was a point in my life when I was free of PCOS but had morbid intrusive thoughts, complete lack of empathy and severe paranoia that nearly drove me suicidal. It lasted four months, came out of nowhere and disappeared the same way. I thought I was insane and never considered that it had a physical basis. Once it was gone physical issues replaced it and then I started playing around with supplements trying to fix them. I noticed I had white spots on my nails and started taking small doses of zinc citrate. It’s low absorption and a small dose but it was enough to induce that ruthless paranoid state of mind. Now, a week into supplementing zinc anxiety and the morbid intrusive thoughts are slowly creeping in again.

Stop taking things that make you feel worse. OP feels better on zinc and you don’t. That should tell you something.

Also white spots on nails don’t always mean zinc deficiency. That’s a myth, thus anyone you’ve read who told you that is a mook.

Eat beef daily if you think you have a zinc deficiency. And get tested. Don’t guess. Find a hair mineral analysis practitioner that uses TEI lab and appropriate bloodwork to determine your copper and zinc levels.

Also, consider classical zinc deficiency symptoms: how is your wound healing ability, sense of taste, and smell?

Is it possible the zinc is displacing toxic copper from storage sites and thus making you feel worse? Sure. Or you could be copper deficient and are making yourself much worse.

I would not utilize oysters and liver right now. Just eat muscle meat and a normal diet until you can get testing and professional help. Toying with zinc when it’s making your mental health acutely worse is a potential recipe for disaster. I rode that rollercoaster for years.

 

[Connor888]

I’m taking the now Foods zinc picolinate because I’m still getting white nail spots eating beef and oysters regularly. Oysters make me feel amazing and beef is also great, but it’s more of a grounding feeling. Supplemental zinc on the other hand induces weird mental states in me every single time. There was a point in my life when I was free of PCOS but had morbid intrusive thoughts, complete lack of empathy and severe paranoia that nearly drove me suicidal. It lasted four months, came out of nowhere and disappeared the same way. I thought I was insane and never considered that it had a physical basis. Once it was gone physical issues replaced it and then I started playing around with supplements trying to fix them. I noticed I had white spots on my nails and started taking small doses of zinc citrate. It’s low absorption and a small dose but it was enough to induce that ruthless paranoid state of mind. Now, a week into supplementing zinc anxiety and the morbid intrusive thoughts are slowly creeping in again.

Oh gosh thats awful. I take the zinc from Pure Encapsulations and its a fair price, no negative side effects as of yet. I suffer with ocd & intrusive thoughts my self and even they feel better! Are you going to try a different brand if the Now Foods one doesn't agree with you?

Maybe stop though if you're not feeling great on it

 

[Connor888]

What has your beef and liver intake been like? Usually people with deficiencies do not eat enough of these major sources of zinc as well as shellfish as well. Do you eat canned clams or oyster? Zinc is a great mineral for metabolism, great for the liver.

So i only eat beef once a week (if that) but i always go out of my way to eat chicken liver every week

I had a look at cronometer and i was surprised my in take of zinc was low, because i drink milk and eat eggs every day which i thought were high in zinc, i was quite surprised

 

[mrchibbs]

Does chicken liver have a decent amount of zinc? I eat my liver once a week but we need a regular daily supply right?

Decent, but not great. Oysters are really where its at if you feel you have a deficiency. You can eat more of them for a couple of weeks to replenish your stores

 

[Connor888]

Yeah, I like zinc a lot too. It gives me an effect similar to what I get from aspirin. Possibly by inhibiting aromatase?

I take 30 mg of zinc a day. It's a gluconate-histidine compound.

It really has been amazing.
I've not looked into the different types of zinc, is gluconate-histidine easier to absorb?

 

[Connor888]

Decent, but not great. Oysters are really where its at if you feel you have a deficiency. You can eat more of them for a couple of weeks to replenish your stores

Ah so we do store zinc? gotcha. I thought zinc didn't stay in your body long like the b- Vitamins. I will have to take it just a couple of times a week when i've been on it for a few weeks, as like a maintenance?

 

[james2388]

Does chicken liver have a decent amount of zinc? I eat my liver once a week but we need a regular daily supply right?

There is far more zinc in beef mince/hamburger than there is in chicken liver. So if you aren't eating any beef at all, and chicken liver once a week, yes you are probably deficient.

I think many people need to get on board and stop the fear of muscle meats because the vertical diet by Stan Efferding employs Ray Peat protocols and has one weight loss story to the next, and has a far better blueprint in regards to a defined diet.

 

[Frankdee20]

Zinc has different effects on the brain and endocrine system at different doses

 

[cs3000]

I’m taking the now Foods zinc picolinate because I’m still getting white nail spots eating beef and oysters regularly. Oysters make me feel amazing and beef is also great, but it’s more of a grounding feeling. Supplemental zinc on the other hand induces weird mental states in me every single time. There was a point in my life when I was free of PCOS but had morbid intrusive thoughts, complete lack of empathy and severe paranoia that nearly drove me suicidal. It lasted four months, came out of nowhere and disappeared the same way. I thought I was insane and never considered that it had a physical basis. Once it was gone physical issues replaced it and then I started playing around with supplements trying to fix them. I noticed I had white spots on my nails and started taking small doses of zinc citrate. It’s low absorption and a small dose but it was enough to induce that ruthless paranoid state of mind. Now, a week into supplementing zinc anxiety and the morbid intrusive thoughts are slowly creeping in again.

I notice the same thing with zinc. blows my mind some people take it before bed & shows how wild variations can be between people when it comes to supplements. zinc reliably brings me that overthinking mind storm state
i guess supplemental doses are extreme in comparison to what ive typically had most of life not eating red meat. but those doses mostly arent necessary anyway (tho i still notice some of this effect ~10mg)

could be lowering brain iron thats already typically low end, but being so acute probably not. dont think copper lowering plays a role as is acute. nmda antagonism but i tried agonists to see if it would be the opposite and didnt notice much. so idk the mechanism
so i stick to low amounts at a time

ray peat has said 5mg - 10mg a day is enough to correct deficiency, body keeps low stores
which fits with this covid study A Case-Control Study for the Effectiveness of Oral Zinc in the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19
where 10mg zinc picolinate was shown to be equally effective as 25mg or 50mg

 

[redsun]

I notice the same thing with zinc. blows my mind some people take it before bed & shows how wild variations can be between people when it comes to supplements. zinc reliably brings me that overthinking mind storm state
i guess supplemental doses are extreme in comparison to what ive typically had most of life not eating red meat. but those doses mostly arent necessary anyway (tho i still notice some of this effect ~10mg)

could be lowering brain iron thats already typically low end, but being so acute probably not. dont think copper lowering plays a role as is acute. nmda antagonism but i tried agonists to see if it would be the opposite and didnt notice much. so idk the mechanism
so i stick to low amounts at a time

ray peat has said 5mg - 10mg a day is enough to correct deficiency, body keeps low stores
which fits with this covid study A Case-Control Study for the Effectiveness of Oral Zinc in the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19
where 10mg zinc picolinate was shown to be equally effective as 25mg or 50mg

It is a GABA-A antagonist which will increase glutamatergic neurotransmission. The GABA antagonism also means for some people high zinc intake can be anxiogenic.

 

[Birdie]

I remember that Ray often warned about taking zinc. But, in the past 2 years, I've been taking 30mg with HCQ once a week. I was very interested, just now, to find reports of people saying that Zn increased their metabolism and that they began to take lower doses of thyroid med. Lost some weight but, the big but they report losing their hair. Some reported the hair itself became thinner.

These were just comments on a forum that was dealing with another subject, but people are trying to reduce all their Prescription meds. Some say only the Thyroid meds remain but they would like to know how to go off those.

So, people began to report what helped reduce their thyroid meds. Zinc! Then, the side effects they experienced after they began the zinc therapy.... Most didn't associate the hair loss with taking zinc, but one person who did started the discussion.

To make it personal, you can see my little report above and I will add that I've been losing hair. I figured it was age but the zinc could have contributed. I intend to cut it out or cut back to 1/4 tab of the 30mg Zn. Will see what happens if anything.

 

[redsun]

I remember that Ray often warned about taking zinc. But, in the past 2 years, I've been taking 30mg with HCQ once a week. I was very interested, just now, to find reports of people saying that Zn increased their metabolism and that they began to take lower doses of thyroid med. Lost some weight but, the big but they report losing their hair. Some reported the hair itself became thinner.

These were just comments on a forum that was dealing with another subject, but people are trying to reduce all their Prescription meds. Some say only the Thyroid meds remain but they would like to know how to go off those.

So, people began to report what helped reduce their thyroid meds. Zinc! Then, the side effects they experienced after they began the zinc therapy.... Most didn't associate the hair loss with taking zinc, but one person who did started the discussion.

To make it personal, you can see my little report above and I will add that I've been losing hair. I figured it was age but the zinc could have contributed. I intend to cut it out or cut back to 1/4 tab of the 30mg Zn. Will see what happens if anything.

I dont know if you meant you are taking zinc 30mg a day and HCQ once a week but if you did then its not surprising that zinc will cause hair loss (thinning usually). The limit for zinc you should consume a day is 40mg (but even that much may be excessive if the diet is not high enough in copper). Too much will lead to copper deficiency due to blocked absorption which will cause a functional iron deficiency. This is the main reason why you would get hair loss since iron is very important for hair follicles. It will also lead to copper deficiency anemia if done for long enough which will also contribute to hair loss due to less oxygen getting to hair.

 

[Jessie]

I think zinc supplementation would only be necessary for people deficient in zinc. In which case, you should definitely take some zinc in the short-term to replenish your levels. Or else you won't respond to thyroid well, both endogenous and exogenous. You'll likely have sub-optimal androgen production too.

Ray has never recommended zinc supplementation as a general thing. I don't know what he may have told people he personally consulted, but as a general rule he recommended seafood for zinc.

 

[Birdie]

I dont know if you meant you are taking zinc 30mg a day and HCQ once a week but if you did then its not surprising that zinc will cause hair loss (thinning usually). The limit for zinc you should consume a day is 40mg (but even that much may be excessive if the diet is not high enough in copper). Too much will lead to copper deficiency due to blocked absorption which will cause a functional iron deficiency. This is the main reason why you would get hair loss since iron is very important for hair follicles. It will also lead to copper deficiency anemia if done for long enough which will also contribute to hair loss due to less oxygen getting to hair.

Certainly am not taking zinc daily. Only with HCQ on Sundays as I said. Ray Peat said using zinc was not safe. He didn't recommend taking it.