Zinc

What is the need for a study?

A zinc blood test is used to detect zinc deficiency and to assess possible zinc deficiency in the body. The clinical value of excess zinc is minimal.

When should I be tested?

Zinc testing is recommended for people with symptoms of zinc deficiency:
1. frequent colds;
2. impaired, blurred vision;
3. impaired sense of taste and smell, decreased appetite and unexplained weight loss;
4. mood swings, irritability, dullness of consciousness, depression;
5. hair loss;
6. slowed wound healing;
7. diarrhoea;
8. stunted growth (children).

What sample is needed for the test?

Blood is drawn from a vein in the arm.

How to prepare for the survey?

The test is not performed if you have had a test within the last 96 hours. underwent a radiological examination with contrast material.

What do my results mean?

Decreased zinc levels may be due to depletion. Zinc is depleted either through lack of absorption (excess copper or iron interferes with absorption) or through loss of zinc after absorption. Nutritional deficiency develops in patients on parenteral nutrition or because dietary zinc is bound to fibre and is not absorbed. Excess copper and iron in the diet (e.g. through iron supplements) interferes with zinc absorption. Once absorbed, zinc is usually lost through secretions (exudates) from open wounds or simply through the gastrointestinal tract. Zinc is depleted in burn patients, who lose zinc along with the secretions from the burn sites. In cirrhosis of the liver, zinc is lost due to increased zinc excretion by the kidneys. Other diseases that lead to a decrease in zinc levels include ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, enteritis, herpes, intestinal bypass surgery, cancers and increased catabolism caused by anabolic steroids. Anorexia and fasting are also causes of low zinc levels.

Excess zinc is not a major concern. Taking multivitamins (which contain high doses of zinc) does not cause immediate toxicity problems. Much of the zinc in multivitamins passes through the digestive tract and is excreted in the faeces. The excess that is absorbed is excreted through the kidneys in the urine. The only known effect of excessive zinc intake is that zinc interferes with the absorption of copper, which can lead to a decrease in blood copper levels.

Related studies

Copper, iron.

Related conditions/diseases.

Burns, cirrhosis, ulcerative colitis, etheritis, Crohn’s disease, anabolic steroid use, anorexia.