Updated: December 24, 2024

Zinc is used to boost the immune system, improve growth and health in zinc-deficient infants and children, and treat the common cold, recurrent ear infections, the flu, and other conditions. It helps stabilize blood sugar levels and supports skin, eye, and heart health.

Effective for

• Zinc Deficiency: Zinc deficiency might occur in people with severe diarrhea, conditions affecting bowel absorption, liver cirrhosis, alcoholism, post-major surgery, or during long-term tube feeding in hospitals. Taking zinc orally or intravenously helps restore zinc levels in deficient individuals. Regular supplementation, however, is not recommended.

• Diarrhea: Taking zinc orally reduces the duration and severity of diarrhea in undernourished or zinc-deficient children. Administering zinc to undernourished pregnant women and for one month postpartum reduces diarrhea incidence in infants during their first year of life.

• Wilson's Disease: Zinc helps manage symptoms by reducing copper absorption and increasing copper elimination in people with this inherited disorder.

Possibly Effective for

• Acne: Oral zinc may help treat acne, though its efficacy compared to medications like tetracycline remains unclear. Topical zinc ointments alone are ineffective unless combined with erythromycin.

• Burns: Intravenous zinc combined with other minerals improves wound healing in burn patients, particularly severe cases.

• Tumors (Rectum and Colon): Daily supplementation with selenium, zinc, and specific vitamins over five years reduces the risk of recurrent large-bowel tumors by approximately 40%.

• Common Cold: Lozenges containing zinc gluconate or acetate may reduce cold duration in adults. However, side effects like bad taste and nausea might deter usage.

• Depression: Zinc supplements combined with antidepressants can improve symptoms in cases resistant to antidepressant treatment alone.

• Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Zinc hyaluronate gel accelerates healing compared to conventional treatments.

• Diaper Rash: Zinc gluconate orally and zinc oxide paste topically aid healing but are less effective than 2% eosin solution.

• Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Diets rich in zinc may lower AMD risk. Supplements may modestly slow vision loss in high-risk groups.

• Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Zinc combined with conventional treatment may slightly improve symptoms like hyperactivity and socialization issues in some children.

• Bad Breath: Chewing gum, candies, or using mouth rinse with zinc reduces bad breath.

• Taste Disorders: Zinc supplementation improves taste disorders due to zinc deficiency or related conditions.

Ineffective for

• AIDS-related Wasting Syndrome: Zinc combined with vitamins does not alleviate symptoms.

• Hair Loss: Despite some early evidence, zinc is generally ineffective for hair loss treatment.

• Eczema, Cataracts, and Cystic Fibrosis: Zinc supplementation shows no significant improvement in these conditions.

• HIV/AIDS and Related Complications: Zinc does not enhance immune function or reduce mortality in HIV-positive individuals.

• Other Ineffective Uses: Conditions like ear infections, iron deficiency during pregnancy, and psoriasis do not respond significantly to zinc treatments.

• Malaria: Zinc supplementation does not prevent or treat malaria in undernourished children.

Insufficient Evidence for

• Alzheimer's Disease: Zinc might slow symptom progression, though more research is needed.

• Anemia: Zinc-enriched porridge reduces anemia risk in infants.

• Colon Cancer Risk: Increased zinc intake is linked to reduced colorectal cancer risk.

• Asthma, Epilepsy, and Other Disorders: While some conditions show promise with zinc use, evidence remains inconclusive.

Final Thoughts

Zinc proves to be a versatile element as it performs different roles in human body health and has applications in the treatment of several diseases. Its use is most helpful in conditions such as zinc deficiency, diarrheal diseases, and Wilson's disease; it is useful as a supplement in conditions like acne vulgaris and common colds , including its added use in the prevention of tumor recurrence. However, it is either ineffective, or there is no sufficient evidence to support it, when it comes to some of the aspects, for example, Hair loss, and some Chronic diseases. That being said, it could be beneficial to note that this supplementation should be used in accordance with the actual requirements and recommendations of a doctor since its application does not cause harm but, on the other hand, may be ineffective in certain cases.