A zinc taste test is a simple way to help determine if you have a zinc deficiency.
It can be a really helpful tool because zinc blood tests aren’t always very accurate or readily available for measuring zinc levels.
In this post, learn how to do a zinc taste test in this post as well as the many reasons that zinc deficiency is problematic to your health.
How to do a zinc taste test
How to test for zinc status (also known as a zinc challenge):
- Obtain liquid zinc sulfate which is a zinc taste test kit that is a Standard Process zinc test
- Have a stopwatch or timer ready.
- Make sure you have not eaten for 1 hour before the test.
- While doing the test, be aware of when your taste sensations kick in.
- Hold 1 teaspoon of liquid zinc in your mouth and swish it around.
- Continue swishing for 10 seconds.
- Swallow the zinc.
- In 20 seconds, determine your zinc status by the following chart:
Zinc taste test response:
- Severe zinc deficiency– no taste in your mouth during or after the test
- Moderate zinc deficiency-no taste, but then you have a taste after 10 seconds after swallowing the zinc
- Adequate zinc levels-you can taste the zinc but it isn’t strong or unpleasant before swallowing
- Ideal zinc level-instant and strong metallic or bitter taste upon the zinc hitting your tongue.
| Taste Sensation | Zinc Status |
|---|---|
| No taste or water taste | Severe deficiency |
| No initial taste, but can develop a taste after 10-15 seconds | Moderate deficiency |
| You can taste zinc, but it isn’t intense or unpleasant BEFORE swallowing | Adequate zinc |
| You detect a strong and unpleasant taste of metallic/bitter flavor | Ideal zinc |
Zinc taste test accuracy
The taste test described above is a zinc deficiency test.
Surprisingly, its accuracy is between 70-100% accuracy according to some research, which is about as accurate as blood tests [R, R].
Not only that, it is a simple and safe test to do that can give you an idea about your zinc status.
Related post: Micronutrient Testing: When It’s Worth It to Optimize Health (thehealthyrd.com)
What is the most accurate zinc test?
Testing for zinc levels can be challenging. When obtaining a blood test for zinc deficiency, red blood cell zinc is perhaps more accurate than checking a plasma zinc level according to research [R].
There are no standardized tests for zinc levels in the blood because blood only accounts for 0.5% of the total body levels of zinc [R].
However, even slight drops in zinc levels in the blood are often a sign of zinc deficiency.
So, you can either check a red blood cell level of zinc or perform a zinc taste test.
But, you should also be aware that these tests may not always detect a deficiency.
Zinc for smell and taste
Zinc is involved in your taste perception, or taste acuity, of foods.
In other words, people with low zinc body stores are less likely to be able to taste their foods and may suffer from altered appetite.
I often hear people say that foods taste like cardboard, or just taste off. Not surprisingly, low zinc can be the root cause of this poor taste perception. This can really take away the enjoyment of food.
Not only that, altered taste due to zinc deficiency can be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the issues around zinc nutrition.
Zinc benefits overview
Zinc is a fascinating mineral that has thousands of functions in the body.
One important function of zinc is transcribing DNA. This means that zinc helps our DNA to make proteins in our bodies.
Having adequate zinc levels in the body also helps repair DNA breaks or damage.
Further, a low intake of zinc contributes to accelerated aging in our bodies, making us more susceptible to many illnesses.
Zinc deficiency is quite common
Low zinc affects at least 2 billion people worldwide, and many more people likely have undetected zinc deficiency [R].
Likewise, inadequate diets, depleted soils, medication depletion, and poor absorption make low zinc levels in our bodies.
In fact, it is a much more common problem than it should be.
One cause of zinc deficiency is soil content.
Low zinc levels in the soil are the most common soil problem in agriculture, according to recent research [R].
Related post: The Best Soil-Based Probiotics
Causes of zinc deficiency
As mentioned above, low zinc levels can be caused by other many diet and lifestyle factors. Here are some common causes of poor zinc status [R]:
- Alcohol intake
- Poor quality diet
- Rapid growth (young children and adolescents)
- Pregnancy
- Strict vegetarians
- Eating disorders
- Other restrictive diets
- Stress
- Sweating a lot (think athletes)
- Medications
- Diabetes
- Gastrointestinal diseases
- HIV/AIDS
- Autoimmune diseases
- Elderly
Sadly, many people I meet have 3 or more of the above issues.
Related post: The Pros & Cons of Veganism.
Zinc deficiency symptoms:
Having zinc deficiency can show up in vague and difficult to pin down symptoms, including:
- Poor immunity
- Diarrhea
- Allergies
- Thinning hair
- Impaired gastrointestinal function
- Sexual dysfunction
- Acne
- Rashes
- Elevated blood pressure
- Loss of appetite
- Reduced ability to taste foods
However, these health issues can also be signs of other health conditions. So, it can be extra important to determine your zinc levels with a zinc taste test for this reason.
Medication-caused zinc depletion
As mentioned previously drug depletion of zinc and other nutrients is a common cause of zinc deficiency.
The problem is vast.
To help you sort it out, here is a partial list of medications that reduce zinc levels:
- Calcium carbonate
- Aluminum hydroxide
- Antacids
- Corticosteroids
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications
- Valproic acid
- Birth control
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Blood pressure medications
- ACE inhibitors
- Diuretics
- Stomach acid drugs
It isn’t uncommon for people to be on more than one of these medications as well. If you are prescribed any of these medications, it’s a good bet to take a good broad-spectrum natural multivitamin with minerals.
Foods rich in zinc
Zinc in foods is most rich in seafood and red meats. Also, keep in mind that plant sources have a reduced ability to absorb into the body due to their phytate content [R].
| Food | Serving size | Zinc amount | Percent DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oysters | 3 oz | 74 mg | 673% |
| Liver | 3 oz | 11 mg | 100% |
| Beef roast | 3 oz | 7 mg | 64% |
| Venison | 3 oz | 7 mg | 64% |
| Crab | 3 oz | 7 mg | 64% |
| Chicken leg | 1 leg | 2.7 mg | 28% |
| *Pumpkin seeds | 1/4 cup | 2.6 mg | 20% |
| Swiss cheese | 1 oz | 1.1 mg | 11% |
| *Black beans | 1/2 cup | 2 mg | 19% |
| *Kidney beans | 1/2 cup | 0.9 mg | 8% |
It’s always a good idea to eat zinc-rich foods regularly and seafood, eggs, chicken, and red meats tend to be the highest source of zinc.
Related post: Is it Bad to Lay Down After Eating? Ways to Cope (thehealthyrd.com)
What enhances and reduces zinc absorption?
When it comes to zinc nutrition, zinc from plant-based sources is poorly absorbed unless they are first soaked, sprouted, and ideally, fermented [R].
For example, fermenting rice allows the minerals like zinc to be absorbed better.
And in general, protein foods generally have higher amounts of zinc. Fascinatingly, having protein also greatly enhances the absorption of zinc [R].
Antacids and stomach acid medications reduce the ability to absorb zinc too.
Zinc antioxidant and anti-aging effects.
Many people don’t realize that zinc functions as an antioxidant in the body. Because of this, a deficiency of zinc can result in damage to your DNA. This means that low zinc levels can cause the aging of your DNA strands.
Intriguingly, adding zinc back to the diet of men helped repair the DNA damage from deficiency [R].
Telomeres are a protective part of the DNA. They help protect cells from senescence, aging, and cancer.
These telomers can become damaged (shortened) by many factors, including low zinc levels. In fact, a very recent study found that zinc sulfate, as a cellular antioxidant, was able to lengthen or “reverse aging” in stem cells [R].
Importance of zinc in preventing DNA damage
DNA damage from zinc deficiency may increase the risk of many diseases, [R, R, R] including:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Parkinson’s disease
- Early death
Zinc is one piece of the puzzle for nutrients and aging. Fascinatingly, taking a multivitamin with minerals, including zinc, resulted in increased DNA health in a recent research study [R].
Interestingly, zinc in young children even appears to reduce DNA damage (telomere shortening) [R].
In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, zinc supplementation for elderly patients helped repair DNA damage (telomeres) and also improved blood levels of antioxidants [R].
In fact, using zinc may reduce damage to DNA and oxidative stress, as well as early aging (senescence) of cells [R].
Another study found that zinc helped to reduce DNA damage caused by radiation in immune cells [R].
Impressively, supplemental zinc may even help prevent diseases like diabetes [R].
Zinc and immunity
By helping us have a healthy immune response, zinc helps protect the body [R].
Supplements of zinc at 30 mg per day, along with whey protein, was given to frail elderly hospitalized patients. This combination improved activities of daily living and also improved markers of bone health (osteocalcin) and antioxidant status [R].
Not surprisingly, zinc deficiency increases the risk of pneumonia as well. For example, people with higher levels of blood zinc have a 50% less chance of getting pneumonia [R].
Zinc for IBS and gut health
People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often have zinc deficiency [R]. Too little zinc in the body is related to diarrhea, so this isn’t really a big surprise.
Not only that, zinc deficiency makes the gut more susceptible to infections [R].
A specific type of zinc supplement called zinc carnosine is healing for the gut. In fact, zinc carnosine helps to repair the gut lining. It may even be helpful for healing stomach ulcers too [R].
Sexual benefits of zinc
Zinc helps the body make testosterone.
And zinc improves DNA function, in effect, keeping the reproductive system intact from a gene standpoint.
In certain populations, zinc deficiency is linked to erectile dysfunction [R].
Around 37% of healthy adult men may suffer from insufficient testosterone levels [R], even in aging athletes [R].
Further, zinc supplementation increases testosterone levels in healthy men as well [R].
Supporting the role of zinc for males and sexual health, low levels of zinc are related to the presence of gynecomastia, or breast growth, in boys going through puberty [R].
Ladies beware as well: testosterone is an important, although less researched, hormone for you as well.
In animal studies, zinc deficiency created imbalances in sex hormones for females [R].
If you are on estrogen replacement therapy or birth control, it significantly increases zinc losses in your body.
Taking zinc supplements
Zinc doses available in supplement form are widely variable. For most people, a multivitamin with minerals supplies a good amount of zinc.
Keep in mind, that zinc is always best tolerated when taken with food, especially protein-rich foods.
However, high doses of zinc can cause nausea and taste changes [R]. Long-term high doses of zinc supplements also can interfere with your body’s copper status.
The dosing of zinc you should use is highly dependent on your diet status, and growth status, but also on diseases you may have and medications you may take.
The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body and is shared for educational purposes only. While The Healthy RD’s posts are backed by research, you are unique, so you must seek care from your own dietitian or healthcare provider. This post is not meant to diagnose or treat any conditions. Consult your doctor or healthcare provider before making changes to your supplement regimen or lifestyle.
Heidi Moretti, MS, RD is The Healthy RD. A registered dietitian for 23 years as well as a book author of The Whole Body Guide to Gut Health, Heidi has a passion for functional nutrition and natural medicine. She has researched supplements and natural medicine throughout her career. One of her biggest loves is helping people gain function and vitality by tackling the root causes of illness.