78 replies to this topic

[Cless986]

Hi. not long ago I have posted here questions asking about supplements that
help boost testosterone for people with low t, and people here gave me a lot helpful of tips like taking ginger, tribulus, sleeping well,
doing alot of exercise but none of them recommended taking zinc!!!
I am a 20 year chinese male and always complained of libido and lack of "manliness" and blamed my parents because I thought that I had hypogadism.... BUT I was very wrong!!!!!
a month ago I bought a zinc supplement and everything changed for me!!! My face withg acne cleared out (I just found that zinc is anti-inflamatory and antibacterial) More libido than before, more energy and I think that I am growing bigger with more muscle!
because for producing t my body needed zinc!!!
So I had a zinc deficiency all along, many problems and the cure was a cheap thing that can be found is any pharmacy!!
Conditions that have in some way been linked to zinc deficiencies include:

• Stretch Marks - reddish or purplish lines throughout the skin, that often turn lighter (whitish or flesh-colored) over time.
  
  

• White spots on fingernails
  
  

• Lack of sexual development
  
  

• Poor appetite
  
  

• Delayed puberty
  
  

• Short stature
  
  

• Frequent infections / poor immune system
  
  

• Growth retardation
  
  

• Defective connective tissue
  
  

• Rickets (bowed limbs, scoliosis, chest deformities)

I have half of the conditions, the thing is great but I have some questions:
How much a man in his early 20s needs? I take 50mg everyday specified in the bottle.

What other good supplements I can take along with zinc? I read that selenium and DHEA are good.

thanks

[OneScrewLoose]

The first thing I would do is search for and read through the many multivitamin threads so you can get an idea of what makes a good multi and what makes a bad multi. Then start with the basics: a good multi, fish oil, and vitamin D. Things like DHEA are for after you've gotten these basics covered.

[acantelopepope]

Zinc unequivocally increases my sex drive and testosterone-energy. I love it, just make sure to take it with a meal or you'll get terrible stomach cramping.

Zinc and Magnesium usually go hand-in-hand as far as deficiencies. Personally, magnesium produces a noticeable calming and relaxing effect. I take it twice daily in powder form with hot tea.

There are a handful of other supplements that are good like this (like Tribulus Terrestrius from a good source), but I won't list them here right now. I just wanted to also voice my opinion that Zinc is an amazing suppelment. I take 50mg a day and I would especially take it if you're sexually active.

[Matt]

I had some issue with Zinc and Magnesium deficiency... guess I always gotta supplement :-) ONly happened after I went on CR... weird xD

[eason]

Be careful though. Too much zinc is linked to neurodegeneration.

[Cless986]

Be careful though. Too much zinc is linked to neurodegeneration.

gosh, any more info??

[JLL]

And then there's the zinc/copper ratio thing.

[OneScrewLoose]

And then there's the copper/alzheimer thing. All very messy...

[Chaos Theory]

And then there's the fact that men lose a few milligrams every time they ejaculate.. even messier..

[OneScrewLoose]

And then there's the fact that men lose a few milligrams every time they ejaculate.. even messier..

Messier indeed. *rimshot*

[VampIyer]

I, too, was deficient in zinc. Thus I am taking about 50mg per day.

Unfortunately I have bigger problems zinc cannot address... but yes, my testosterone seems to have come up about 40-50% in the past 3 months. It just needs to uh... increase another 50% and I'll be happy (yes... I was THAT low... and still muscular somehow).

[Mr Serendipity]

I've been megadosing zinc last 4 days, probably too much, but I have noticed substantial improvements over many other supplements I've taken over the years.

I originally took it for vivid dreams, but seen other benefits.

Crude/Sex Warning, don't read ahead if you don't want to read this stuff.

Positive improvements:

1. Mind feels more focused and relaxed.
2. Feel full of energy.
3. Rock hard erections. Literally rock hard; I've had them before on other things but results were inconsistent. But zinc was a surprise since it's so cheap. Need more time to tell if this will be consistent.
4. Seminal production in overdrive. I had a wet dream that night, then I ejaculated when awake, and it was a lot more than usual.
5. Usually when I smoke, I can't handle it very well in my throat. But it's been healing fast, and I haven't had any problems.
6. Woke up at 3.30am today and feel full of energy (though a little bit tired).

Negative side effects:

1. I get a sharp headache pain for a few seconds (10 secs) once during the day, (not everyday in the last 4, and not sure if related).
2. I feel soo full of energy. But because of this, I also feel a bit hypomanic.
3. Even though I feel more focused and calm, I feel like it's a bit hard to type coherent sentances. I keep rewriting sentances like I have mild OCD.
4. I get bad cramps once in a while.
5. Sleeping pattern has and hasn't improved. Need more time to tell. I'm full of energy even though I woke up at 3.30am, but couldn't get back to sleep. However I don't think my 5mg of melatonin helps.
6. Haven't seen my dreams increase in vividness.

However after a few more days experiments, I'll be able to see the good and the bad more clearly. I've had a screwed up sleeping pattern for most of my life, I can't never get it right, whether with melatonin or tryptophan. I usually can't get up in the morning, or when I do, I can't keep the pattern. But I think zinc will give me the energy not to oversleep, that's one benefit I can see longterm. The other I hope for is rock hard erections. I don't have ED, and get normal erections. But rock hard is out of this world sort. I also think this has had an unexpected nootropic effect on me, and hope I can report back consistent results.

Anyway I'll try to keep you updated.

Guys start taking zinc, 50mg, and give back your results.

[hippocampus]

How much zinc is too much and can disrupt zinc/copper ratio?

[Dorian Grey]

I've read 50mg/day is the upper limit for extended use, and too much can cause real problems. Wikipedia's zinc page has some info on this.

I take a 50mg dose, but cycle off 2 or 3 days a week. This seems to work well for me.

[Thorsten3]

I've been taking 40mg of zinc everyday for the past few months but haven't noticed anything at all by the way of increased libido/erectile function.

[SocietyOfMind]

Pyrolurics have a markedly increased need for zinc and B6 - may be worth checking out.

[brokenportal]

You can help Longecity pick the ingredients for the new Longecity crowdsourced multi-vitamin here: http://www.longecity...4-vimmortal-20/
Participate in any of the polls on nutrients, forms and amounts and you'll be able to say that you were part of the creation of a multi-vitamin.

[hippocampus]

which form of zinc is the best?

[mia22]

which form of zinc is the best?

"Best" seems a bit vague. Best for what? I use opti zinc. Source naturals includes the copper in theirs. I think a couple other companies do as well.

[hippocampus]

which has the best absorption? and what are other differences between gluconate, picolinate, glycinate and others?

[mia22]

which has the best absorption? and what are other differences between gluconate, picolinate, glycinate and others?

I believe optizinc is supposedly the most absorbable. I think picolinate is good as well in terms of absorption. As to the slight differences in structure and effects that is out of my area of expertise.
Remember google is your friend. Well at least when they're not collecting data on you and handing it out....

[hippocampus]

Relevant reading:

Dietary Factors Influencing Zinc Absorption

Marginal zinc deficiency and suboptimal zinc status have been recognized in many groups of the population in both less developed and industrialized countries. Although the cause in some cases may be inadequate dietary intake of zinc, inhibitors of zinc absorption are most likely the most common causative factor. Phytate, which is present in staple foods like cereals, corn and rice, has a strong negative effect on zinc absorption from composite meals. Inositol hexaphosphates and pentaphosphates are the phytate forms that exert these negative effects, whereas the lower phosphates have no or little effect on zinc absorption. The removal or reduction of phytate by enzyme (phytase) treatment, precipitation methods, germination, fermentation or plant breeding/genetic engineering markedly improves zinc absorption. Iron can have a negative effect on zinc absorption, if given together in a supplement, whereas no effect is observed when the same amounts are present in a meal as fortificants. Cadmium, which is increasing in the environment, also inhibits zinc absorption. The amount of protein in a meal has a positive effect on zinc absorption, but individual proteins may act differently; e.g., casein has a modest inhibitory effect of zinc absorption compared with other protein sources. Amino acids, such as histidine and methionine, and other low-molecular-weight ions, such as EDTA and organic acids (e.g., citrate), are known to have a positive effect on zinc absorption and have been used for zinc supplements. Knowledge about dietary factors that inhibit zinc absorption and about ways to overcome or remove these factors is essential when designing strategies to improve the zinc nutrition of vulnerable groups.

→ source (external link)

Inhibits zinc absorption: phytate, IP6, IP5, cereals, corn, rice, iron (as a supplement), cadmium, casein, fiber (not mentioned in this article but I've read it elsewhere)
Positive effect on zinc absorption: histidine, methionine, EDTA, organic acids, phytase (lowers the effect of phytate), protein (but there are exceptions like caseine).

[Dorian Grey]

KAL "Tri-Zinc" 50 has: zinc citrate, zinc amino acid chelate, and zinc picolinate blended together, and doesn't make my stomach feel punky when I take it.

Good stuff.

[Wolf]

Does zinc actually raise testosterone? There are some studies for the sports supplement ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium, B6) that show it didn't raise testosterone at all.

I've been taking zinc picolinate for about a month. Seems like it helps some with energy and digestion for me. I started taking it after I got a cold recently and found some zinc gluconate lozenges in the house. I took them and was only really sick for about a day and a half. But I was getting some weird effects like better sense of smell, more energy, better digestion, skin seemed less dry. Didn't know those were all possible effects of zinc. So I got some zinc picolinate after that, but haven't gotten all of those same effects really.

[nameless]

Optizinc is claimed to be the most absorbable, but when I took it, it didn't seem that way to me.

After going through a bottle of optizinc, I noticed some returning odd symptoms, brittle fingernails, dry skin, and I redid the zinc taste test and didn't do particularly well on it.

I think I did best on zinc citrate or perhaps piccolinate. I don't go crazy with dosing though, 30mg or less. If taking higher doses, I'd only recommend it short-term, until the deficiency is less... deficient.

[nowayout]

Some of you are playing with fire by taking these high doses that have the potential to cause really serious long term health problems, including but not limited to irreversible neural damage. The tolerable upper intake level of zinc is 40 mg/day for males over 19. What that means is that your intake from all sources should be less than 40 mg: http://ods.od.nih.go...ofessional/#h8.

The supplements you mention already exceed this tolerable upper limit. When you add up intake from all sources, including food and multivitamins, I think some of you exceed this limit even much more than you realize.

The fact that high intakes of zinc make you feel better does not mean you necessarily had a zinc deficiency before, unless you had a blood test to prove it. Even if you did, feeling good also doesn't mean that the doses you are currently taking are not excessive.

[Dorian Grey]

Thanks for the caution viveutvivas... Mega-dosing Madness is a major problem for supplement makers and those who consume them.

I actually have a very hard time finding low dose supplements now days.

I like taking low dose vitamin-C several times a day rather than thumping big doses once a day. Try looking for vitamin-C at anything less than 1 gram per pill doses. They are out there, but you'll probably need to buy them online. Everything in the stores are megadose.

[nowayout]

Thanks for the caution viveutvivas... Mega-dosing Madness is a major problem for supplement makers and those who consume them.

I actually have a very hard time finding low dose supplements now days.

I like taking low dose vitamin-C several times a day rather than thumping big doses once a day. Try looking for vitamin-C at anything less than 1 gram per pill doses. They are out there, but you'll probably need to buy them online. Everything in the stores are megadose.

You are so right. I'm on antibiotics and so have been trying to find a sane vitamin B supplement. Impossible.

[truboy]

Cless986 hi, do you still take zinc? Is it still working?

Edited by truboy, 29 June 2013 - 11:43 PM.

[truboy]

Be careful though. Too much zinc is linked to neurodegeneration.

gosh, any more info??

bump