Better Health & Beyond — Zinc

Zinc is a nutrient that plays many vital roles in your body. Because your body doesn’t naturally produce zinc, you must obtain it through food or supplements.

This article explains everything you need to know about zinc, including its functions, health benefits, dosage recommendations and potential side effects.

Zinc is well established as a critical element in COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) treatment. COVID-19 patients with low levels of zinc can often result in poor clinical outcomes, including an extended duration of convalescence, higher morbidity, and higher mortality in older adults

Zinc has antiviral properties. However, the detailed kinetics and the mechanism of zinc in the inhibition of viruses, particularly, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative virus of COVID-19 – is unclear.

Research is ongoing.