Does Zinc Help with Weight Loss?

  • By Abigail Roberts
  • 4 minute read
Does Zinc Help with Weight Loss?

It’s no major surprise that insufficient intake of any essential nutrient would lead to a number of health problems, including difficulty losing weight.

To avoid this, it’s highly recommended to consume a balanced, varied diet to ensure sufficient intake of all key nutrients.

Without these nutrients, our bodies would simply struggle to function optimally, which could negatively impact our overall health.

Zinc is just one fundamental nutrient needed for optimal function, playing many significant roles in the body.

Though, does it help with weight loss?

Read on to find out!

What is the Role of Zinc in the Body?

Zinc is an essential mineral involved in many critical biological processes in the body, including:

  • Making new cells and enzymes
  • Processing carbohydrate, fat, and protein from food
  • Wound healing

Zinc is typically supplemented to reduce the frequency of illness, support optimal testosterone levels, support brain function, and support the immune system.

Good sources of zinc include:

  • Meat
  • Shellfish
  • Dairy foods
  • Bread
  • Cereals - such as wheatgerm

Zinc deficiency can lead to a number of health problems, including impairing growth in children, mental fatigue, depression, and skin abnormalities.

It is also thought that low levels of zinc due to diabetes can worsen insulin resistance, which can cause further issues with weight management and blood sugar levels.

The recommended daily intake of zinc is around 9.5mg for men, and 7mg for women. While you should be able to get most of your daily intake through diet alone, there may be additional benefits to supplementation, including bridging any gaps in zinc insufficiencies.

Let’s explore!

Are There Any Benefits to Supplementing with Zinc?

Many of the benefits of supplementing with zinc, or increasing dietary intake, would largely depend on the levels of zinc in the individual.

Research suggests that in the case of low zinc levels, supplementation would bring levels closer to normal.

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Zinc supplementation may also help:

  • Reduce the duration of a common cold
  • Improve symptoms of depression
  • Provide some relief from acne
  • Promote antioxidant activity
  • Enhance cognitive health and mood
  • Maintain good digestion
  • Men’s health

To read more about “Zinc for Men” and “Zinc Benefits for Women”, check out our linked guides!

Having discussed the many benefits of zinc supplementation, let’s discuss the potential benefits on weight loss specifically.

Zinc for Weight Loss: Does it Help?

There has been some research around the benefits of zinc for weight loss, and two studies have found some promising results!

One study reported that obese individuals tend to have lower zinc levels circulating around the body.

Upon supplementation, it was found that zinc improves BMI, body weight, and triglyceride concentration, which suggests zinc may be an effective therapy for obese individuals.1

A second study found that obese subjects who consumed 30mg of zinc gluconate per day had improved body mass indices, reduced body weight, and had improved triglyceride levels.2

While it appears that zinc supplementation may have a potential effect on enhancing weight loss in overweight and obese individuals, more research needs to be done to confirm this, though the research appears promising so far.

Supplementing with Zinc

Taking into account all the supposed benefits of supplementing with zinc, you’re probably wondering where to find it and what to look for in a supplement.

For overall health, wellbeing, and “covering the bases”, Zinc is best taken as part of a multivitamin supplement.

A multivitamin would provide not just the recommended dose of zinc, but also all the other key nutrients needed for optimal functioning of the body.

So, if you’re looking for an all-round multivitamin to boost your general health, as well as potentially support your weight loss goals, we highly recommend NutriGenesis Multi.

Some of the key benefits of NutriGenesis Multi include:

  • Providing foundational nutritional support for healthy whole-body biological performance
  • Supporting daily vitality and long-range overall health
  • Innovative technology
  • Gender-specific customization and hormonal support

Weight Loss: The Bottom Line

Getting enough zinc in your diet may have a beneficial effect on weight loss if you’re overweight or obese. Having said that, zinc does not work that simply.

The majority of your weight loss results would stem from making changes to your diet and lifestyle. As we know, your total calorie intake vs total calorie expenditure determines whether you lose weight, which is the principle of fat loss.

Supplementing with zinc and boosting your intake of zinc-rich foods would only further complement this principle - without it, it will not provide the desired results.

Additionally, boosting your dietary intake of zinc would typically result in an increased intake of protein and some vegetables, which would help boost fullness and energy expenditure, thus having an indirect impact on weight loss.

Take-Home Message

Zinc is an essential mineral needed for many key biological processes in the body, including making new cells and enzymes, and wound healing.

Supplementing with zinc can provide many health benefits such as reducing the duration of a cold, promoting antioxidant activity, and maintaining good men’s health.

There appears to be some promising research so far around the benefits of supplementing with zinc for weight loss, with a few studies suggesting it may be a helpful supplement for those who are overweight and obese, where zinc levels are typically found to be low.

While there is promising research in this area so far, more studies must be done to confirm the effect of zinc supplementation on weight loss.

There is no harm in supplementing with zinc, particularly as part of a multivitamin, however, do not underestimate the importance of diet and exercise for weight loss.

References

  1. Payahoo L, Ostadrahimi A, Mobasseri M, et al. Effects of zinc supplementation on the anthropometric measurements, lipid profiles and fasting blood glucose in the healthy obese adults. Adv Pharm Bull. 2013;3(1):161-165.
  2. Freire SC, Fisberg M, Cozzolino SM. Dietary intervention causes redistribution of zinc in obese adolescents. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2013 Aug;154(2):168-77.