Question: What to do if signs and symptoms of zinc deficiency persist despite taking 75 mg zinc gluconate per day.

You should do plasma zinc.

Also you know I kind of wonder whether you're taking that right. So if you're taking 75 milligrams of zinc like at one time then it's not surprising because you're absorbing like seven of those milligrams. The rest you are not.

To maximize absorption take them on an empty stomach in 10-15 mg which is typically the smallest dose available.

If you're doing that and the signs, the deficiency persist they're persisting when you're taking that, then it probably isn't zinc related.

If they're persisting until you take that and it goes away, then either you aren't absorbing the zinc well, or you're not taking it right. Those are the two things.

If you're not absorbing it well it could be a general malabsorption disorder, something causing loss of bile, or a polymorphism or genetic impairment in a zinc transporter, or low methylation which all can affect zinc transporters.

This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/

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Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.