Zinc

Zinc is a mineral involved in immune function, wound healing and taste. Foods including meat, shellfish and legumes provide it. Supplements are used for deficiency and marketed for colds, skin and hair. Products include standalone supplements, multivitamins and lozenges.

Needing zinc as a nutrient does not establish that you lack it or that extra zinc will address your concern. Hair loss and frequent illness have many possible causes. Buying a bottle without investigating can leave you paying for something while the original problem continues. Products containing zinc are not all interchangeable.

You may feel nothing after taking it. Lozenges can leave an unpleasant taste or irritate your throat. If you take them during a cold, having a better day does not tell you what role the product played.

Nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea are possible. These are not signs of stronger immunity. Ask a pharmacist to review the actual product if it makes you feel ill; finishing the bottle because you paid for it is not a reason to tolerate symptoms.

Ongoing excess zinc can impair copper absorption and cause anaemia and neurological problems. Zinc can also interfere with certain antibiotics and penicillamine. Check all your products with a pharmacist: a multivitamin, hair supplement and immune supplement may each contain it.

Zinc products applied inside the nose have been linked to loss of smell, sometimes permanent, and should not be used. That is a different risk from oral supplements. Over-the-counter availability does not establish suitability, and adding copper on your own does not automatically make excess zinc safe.