Zinc

What is zinc used for?

Updated 10 Nov 2026

Short answer

The main benefits tested in trials:

  • Colds (immune support): a 2024 Cochrane review of 34 trials found that zinc may shorten a cold by about 2.4 days, with low certainty. Zinc may have little or no effect on preventing colds.[1]
  • Pneumonia in young children: in 6 trials with 5,193 children aged 2 to 59 months, zinc lowered new cases of pneumonia by 13%, with low-quality evidence.[2]
  • Diarrhea in children: in children older than 6 months, zinc may shorten diarrhea by about half a day (low certainty). In children with signs of malnutrition, it shortened diarrhea by about a day.[3]
  • Growth in children: in 74 trials, zinc given to children as prevention probably led to a slight increase in height.[4]
  • Macular degeneration, an eye disease of older age: in people who have it, a formula of zinc and antioxidant vitamins probably slows progression to the late stage.[5]
  • Blood sugar: a 2019 review of 32 trials found lower fasting glucose and HbA1c with zinc.[6] The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says the evidence is not enough to draw conclusions.[7]
  • Period pain: a 2024 review of 6 trials found less pain with zinc than with placebo.[8]

A review of 5 trials found that zinc may lower depression symptoms in people who take antidepressants.[9] Some benefits are not supported: zinc with folic acid did not improve sperm quality or live births in a large trial.[10] In pregnancy, zinc made little or no difference to preterm birth or low birthweight.[11]

Sources (11)

  1. Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Nault D, Machingo TA, Shipper AG, Antiporta DA, Hamel C, Nourouzpour S, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2024. PMID 38719213
  2. Zinc supplementation for the prevention of pneumonia in children aged 2 months to 59 months. Lassi ZS, Moin A, Bhutta ZA Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016. PMID 27915460
  3. Oral zinc for treating diarrhoea in children. Lazzerini M, Wanzira H Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016. PMID 27996088
  4. Zinc supplementation for preventing mortality, morbidity, and growth failure in children aged 6 months to 12 years. Imdad A, Rogner J, Sherwani RN, Sidhu J, Regan A, Haykal MR, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2023. PMID 36994923
  5. Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements for slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Evans JR, Lawrenson JG Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2023. PMID 37702300
  6. Zinc supplementation improves glycemic control for diabetes prevention and management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Wang X, Wu W, Zheng W, Fang X, Chen L, Rink L, et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2019. PMID 31161192
  7. Zinc: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. ods.od.nih.gov
  8. Efficacy of Zinc Supplementation in the Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Hsu TJ, Hsieh RH, Huang CH, Chen CS, Lin WY, Huang YC, et al. Nutrients, 2024. PMID 39683510
  9. Zinc supplementation combined with antidepressant drugs for treatment of patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. da Silva LEM, de Santana MLP, Costa PRF, Pereira EM, Nepomuceno CMM, Queiroz VAO, et al. Nutr Rev, 2021. PMID 32885249
  10. Effect of Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation in Men on Semen Quality and Live Birth Among Couples Undergoing Infertility Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Schisterman EF, Sjaarda LA, Clemons T, Carrell DT, Perkins NJ, Johnstone E, et al. JAMA, 2020. PMID 31910279
  11. Zinc supplementation for improving pregnancy and infant outcome. Carducci B, Keats EC, Bhutta ZA Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2021. PMID 33724446

More about zinc

What is zinc?Which foods contain zinc?What are the signs of zinc deficiency?Is zinc safe?Do zinc lozenges help with colds?Does zinc help children with diarrhea?

For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.