You might not think about zinc, but this mineral is vital to your health—and the symptoms of depletion are easy to overlook.

Zinc lozenges are a popular cold remedy, but this unheralded mineral can do so much more. Zinc is required for more than a thousand different chemical reactions in the human body, which gives it a wide range of health benefits:

• Zinc is essential for a healthy immune system, which helps ward off colds and other illnesses. Zinc plays a key role in healthy cell division, which helps protect against cancer.
• In combination with other antioxidants, zinc protects the eyes against blindness from age-related macular degeneration.
• Zinc is used to treat diarrhea in children and to treat Wilson’s disease, a genetic disorder that leads to very high, life-threatening levels of copper.
• Zinc is an antioxidant that reduces chronic inflammation and may protect against atherosclerosis.

Signs You Need More Zinc

Older people and anyone whose digestion is sub-optimal may not absorb adequate zinc. In addition, a shortfall is more likely among people who don’t eat animal foods. Signs of zinc deficiency (and/or conditions related to low zinc) include:

• Frequent colds or other infections
• Allergies
• Hair loss
• Loss of taste and smell
• Stunted growth in children
• Attention disorders in kids
• Infertility
• Poor mental function
• Diarrhea and IBS
• Adrenal issues
• Skin lesions (e.g., acne, eczema)
• Loss of appetite
• Hair loss
• Slow healing of wounds
• Pica (eating dirt)
• Eating disorders (e.g., bulimia, anorexia)

Zinc-Depleting Drugs

Studies have found that conventional medications for heartburn and high blood pressure deplete zinc. High doses of the mineral may be necessary to restore healthy levels and should be taken under the supervision of a health professional.

Heartburn drugs reduce levels of stomach acid and this, in turn, impairs the absorption of zinc and other nutrients. One study compared effects of 26.2 mg of zinc in supplements, twice daily, in healthy people and those taking proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec and Prevacid. Compared to the drug-free, healthy group, those taking heartburn drugs absorbed less than one-third of the mineral.

Two types of blood pressure drugs—thiazide diuretics and ACE inhibitors—increase excretion of zinc. Loss of taste can be a side effect of ACE inhibitors, and a study found that people who experienced the most loss of taste had the lowest zinc levels. Among ACE inhibitors, the greatest zinc depletion was seen with captopril (also sold under the brand Capoten).