Zinc Picolinate (25 mg)

Zinc is required by something on the order of three hundred enzymes and a far larger number of transcription factors — the zinc finger, a protein fold that grips DNA around a zinc ion, is one of the most common structural motifs in the human genome. It plays a role in normal immune function, normal wound healing, normal protein synthesis, normal taste and smell, and the maintenance of healthy skin.

The body stores almost none of it. There is no zinc reserve comparable to iron in ferritin, which means status depends on steady intake, and intake depends heavily on absorption — where zinc has a problem. The phytates in grains and legumes bind it in the gut, and it competes with copper and iron for uptake.

Picolinic acid is a tryptophan metabolite the body produces in the pancreas and secretes into the intestine, apparently for the purpose of chelating zinc for transport. Zinc picolinate presents the mineral already bound to that carrier. Take it with food; on an empty stomach it can cause nausea. Long-term high-dose zinc can deplete copper, which is worth knowing.

Hypoallergenic, with no diluents, binders, or fillers.

25 mg · Available in 60 capsules

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.