NOW Foods Zinc Gluconate, 100 Tablets / 50mg

Not really much to say about this product other than that it came as it was described. I also got 1 packet of pre workout drink mix which is great.

These are good, but I'm warning you: Do not take on empty stomach! In fact you may be better off breaking the pill in half too. 50 mg is a fairly high dose for zinc unless you are particularly zinc deficient and need a lot extra. I got very nauseous from taking 1/2 pill on empty stomach and thought I was going to vomit. Eventually the feeling passed thank god and now I always take them with food. I never have problems with minerals/supplements so this definitely caught me off guard. So be careful.

GREAT PRODUCT!!

Is what it is just $$$ Guess I pass next time

I first came across the idea of taking zinc when I read that it can improve acne. I did extensive research and read a number of reviews on different zinc supplements and a number of persons reported reduced frequency of colds as well. I get colds frequently and am really sick for a week after getting one. There are also reports that it can help with depression. One recent paper found that it may be related to hair loss ([...]). Since I don't eat particularly well I decided to start taking this daily. I've used it for over a month in addition to a MVM (which contains 11 mg zinc oxide) and while I did get a cold, I got over it in a couple days when it usually puts me out for much longer. So I do attribute this supplement to helping. I feel better in general. If I eat it on an empty stomach it does cause some nausea so most of the time I take it with food. Note that this contains 50 mg of ELEMENTAL zinc. Zinc gluconate contains 14.3% elemental zinc. The % daily value of 333% is also based on the old recommendation of 15 mg/day, so this is why the numbers don't add up. The current recommendation for adult men is 11 mg/day and for women 8 mg/day. Zinc comes in many forms including gluconate, oxide, citrate, picolinate, and acetate. This one, the gluconate, is better absorbed than the oxide but not as well absorbed as picolinate. How much zinc is safe? The answer does not seem known. UpToDate mentions 40 mg/day as the tolerable upper limit, but it is not clear where this recommendation comes from or on what studies it is based. Ingesting zinc, even at doses close to the recommended daily allowance, increases the excretion of copper. The more zinc that one consumes, the higher the excretion/decreased absorption of copper, which can cause a copper deficiency and serious health problems. While overt toxicity does not seem to occur at less than 100 mg of zinc/day, studies have found that ingesting even 50 mg/day causes some copper deficiency and reduces HDL cholesterol, which may also be mediated by copper. For a great summary and references to other papers, see: [...] This paper on copper shows that as dietary zinc increases, the need for copper increases as well: [...] However, it just looks at dietary zinc from 5 to 20 mg, and the copper requirement, which is also based on protein intake, increases by about 1 full mg from 5 mg zinc to 20 mg. So it is not clear what happens if one takes 50 mg/day. Reading every review for this product, some take this supplement periodically, or when they start getting cold/health symptoms, some cut it in half, and some describe taking it daily. One person describes possible zinc toxicity. After taking this and a copper supplement for over a month, I had a feeling I might be getting too much zinc. I am going to start taking it every other day, so I'll be getting a total of 36 mg daily with my MVM and take a total of 2.5 mg copper daily which I take at a different time to make sure that the two do not interact. UptoDate gives 10 mg copper as the maximum tolerable intake for adults. If one takes anywhere below that and it is too much, it should be excreted in a healthy person. Consumerlab.com recommends that one taking long-term zinc should supplement with 1-3 mg of copper. Is 2.5 mg of copper/day sufficient to balance 36 mg of zinc/day? More research is needed but if 40 mg zinc/day is the maximum tolerable limit, then hopefully taking this amount with copper is okay. Another company manufacturers a combined 50 mg zinc/2 mg copper product which has all positive reviews.

they are not capsul shape

These pills definitely lessen the severity of oncoming colds when I taken them upon symptom onset. Will never go without zinc handy in my medicine cabinet

made my tummy very upset