Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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Zinc picolinate supplement timing

Post by Quantifier »

I recently started taking this supplement due to having 'normal' but sub-optimal levels. Is there a recommended time of day to take it? Is there a reason to avoid taking it with other supplements such as magnesium, vitamin B12 (methylated form), or DHA?
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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I think zinc requires close tracking. I tried three different forms. My zinc lab started at 60-70. I first took picolinate but the it went down to 64. Then I tried gluconate and it only went up to 73. Next I tried L-Optizinc and it was back down to 63. Next a doctor friend pointed out that caffeine can interfere with absorption. I had been taking all these forms after breakfast, which includes caffeine. I then remained on the L-Optizinc but took it at night, and my latest result was 90. I'll probably just stick with L-Optizinc now, but I don't know whether the other forms would have worked had I taken them before bed. I'll probably wait a year or so now before testing my zinc level again. This exercise provided a clear lesson in not assuming that a supplement is working.
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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circular wrote:I think zinc requires close tracking.
Thank you! As it happens I don't normally drink caffeinated beverages, but still, I'll make sure to check!
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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OK, just learned that the absorption of zinc is inhibited by phytic acids, but enhanced by dietary protein. This might mean I'll need to change to taking this supplement with dinner rather than lunch.
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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Quantifier wrote:
circular wrote:I think zinc requires close tracking.
Thank you! As it happens I don't normally drink caffeinated beverages, but still, I'll make sure to check!
My serum test of Cu and Zn showed Cu larger than Zn so have been supplementing with Zn for a long time. Trying to balance other minerals, namely Na, Mg, K & Ca I did sequential hair analyses. The Cu showed low and Zn higher. The consultant prescribed their "highly bioavailable" Cu along with their Mg & K and told me to increase NaCl. On the next test, Cu had not changed at all. The consultant said she thought I might have a digestive bug "eating" the Cu. She prescribed digestive enzymes & betaine HCL with meals. I waiting on my latest test results, but adding in the enzymes & HCL has made a huge positive impact on my bowels. After she suggest these, this 20 year old book on the positive impact of stomach acid showed up in my feed. It was eye opening.

She also told me not to take Vitamin C while I'm trying to balance the Zn/Cu, as well as to not take Zn,

I'd started down the hair analysis path as I've had afib for 17 years and have kept it mostly in remission with electrolytes. This year, my normally good control declined. After implementing the consultant's suggestions, my afib control got much better. Hence giving credence to her suggestions.
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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Tincup wrote:
Quantifier wrote:
circular wrote:
Interesting, Tincup! I do think my digestion has improved a bit since starting zinc, so maybe it is doing something.

As for copper, we have copper plumbing, and copper is used in organic farming, so I have reason to think I'm getting some, but who knows how it balances with zinc. I guess I'll have to test in a while.
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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Quantifier wrote:copper is used in organic farming
That's interesting too. How is it used? I'm guessing that it's part of organic pest control? For those with high copper, I've never heard that one might need to cut back on organic produce. Your thoughts?
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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circular wrote:
Quantifier wrote:copper is used in organic farming
That's interesting too. How is it used?
See Agricultural Use of Copper and Its Link to Alzheimer’s Disease

From there:
Copper has been used in agriculture as a fertilizer and in the management of plant diseases. Organic agriculture is very dependent on copper as a fungicide. Several fungicides have copper in their formulation. The first fungicide to be used in all cropping systems worldwide and most famous there is the Bordeaux mixture (25% CuSO4). The Bordeaux mixture and, consequently, copper has been used in agriculture for more than 160 years in the management of plant diseases [77]. Fishel [78] stated that, during the 1850s in the Bordeaux region in France, a vineyard farmer was having trouble with people stealing grapes from his vines. He applied a mixture of copper and lime to part of his vineyards to make the grapes unattractive. The result was that in the plants where the copper-lime mix was applied, there was no plant disease incidence.

Nowadays copper is mostly used to control the following plant diseases: Grape downy mildew, caused by the Plasmopara viticola, which is a highly damaging disease for grapes, particularly in oceanic climates; Apple scab, caused by the Venturia inaequalis; Potato late blight, caused by the Phytophthora infestans, responsible for a severe disease affecting potato production. In tropical regions, there is an occurrence of the Coffee Rust Disease caused by Hemileia vastatri and the cocoa Witches’ Broom Disease, caused by Crinipellis perniciosa [79,80,81].

The Bordeaux mixture is widely used in organic agriculture worldwide since it is considered to have low toxicity for humans and the environment. Also, other fungicides containing copper in the forms of hydroxide, oxychloride, oxide, and octanoate, can be used in Organic Agriculture. However, they need authorization from the certifiers of organic products to minimize the accumulation of copper in the soil [82]. In Brazil, the recommendation follows specific legislation similar to that proposed by FAO [83,84,85].
The authors see it as a systemic problem, as high levels can be harmful to various populations, and propose changing agricultural methods (using different compounds, reducing the amounts being used or number of applications, using non-chemical pest-control methods).
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

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I have been doing mineral balancing through my naturopath for over 10 years. Looking through my results over time I notice my zinc to copper ratio has usually remained at approximately 1:1, more often copper being lower than zinc when the ratio has changed. Now that I am following the Bredesen Protocol which uses blood markers only, I see my zinc levels in blood are lower than copper. Since I have no idea how to judge the discrepancy between the two methods, other than hair analysis shows levels of minerals over a three month period and blood shows levels in present time, I am now taking zinc as my Bredesen trained physician prescribed. I do wonder about it though, since my hormones are low at age 68, it would make more sense that copper would be lower than zinc, as copper and estrogen are linked. If anyone understands how minerals keep in balance better than I, I would love to hear a coherent view.
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Re: Zinc picolinate supplement timing

Post by circular »

Thanks Quantifier!
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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