I've noticed several posts Gabes has made with information on zinc, but couldn't locate many when searched. I've been researching it for 2 reasons. First , Gabes, you make a lot of sense re the inflammation angle. But recently I read that it is important for eye health--the Age-Related Eye Disease Study has 80 mg of zinc oxide but added 2 mg of copper( as cupric oxide) to prevent copper-deficiency anemia, associated with high levels of zinc intake. I can't take the pills available for macular degeneration (I'm at risk) because of course, soy and other allergens are in them, so have been trying to add some of the things like lutein. So this gives me 2 reasons to add zinc, but it is confusing as to which type is best. I've read that chelated is good, citrate and picolinate also.
I found on vitacost Nature's Life zinc picolinate 30 mg + 2 mg copper gluconate/citrate. (free of lots of allergens) That doesn't come close to the 80 mg of zinc they are using, but hope that the picolinate form is more absorbable than oxide, plus I'm sure I'm getting some benefit from diet. Do you think that sounds like a reasonable dose, or should I maybe think about adding another plain zinc pill, or doubling up on the Nature's Life? that might be too much copper. Or I could try to get a higher mg of zinc and get a separate copper pill, or chlorophyll which has copper.
Or am I overthinking this? Probably, but any ideas would be much appreciated
Beverly
Calling Gabes and others re zinc question
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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Gabes-Apg
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Bev
One thing I do suggest is to have a zinc/copper blood test before taking high high doses of Zinc.
In my case - I am still zinc deficient, high levels of copper. So take mega doses of zinc and avoid things with copper.
If you are a little bit copper deficient and start taking high doses of zinc it will cause some issues.
(due to my health issues, we check my zinc/copper levels every 4-5 months)
possible products - i buy the Now Foods Zinc piconolinate from iHerb - 50mg capsules (i am taking over 150mg a day at the moment)
the other product that iHerb have, that has no MC nasties is the country life brand
http://www.iherb.com/Country-Life-Glute ... =null&ic=9
these are 25mg so you could have one in the am, two in the pm and get 75mg per day....
the other option is a zinc liquid - take some tablets /some liquid to keep costs reasonable and optimise absorption
http://www.iherb.com/Eidon-Mineral-Supp ... =null&ic=6
Hope this helps!!
One thing I do suggest is to have a zinc/copper blood test before taking high high doses of Zinc.
In my case - I am still zinc deficient, high levels of copper. So take mega doses of zinc and avoid things with copper.
If you are a little bit copper deficient and start taking high doses of zinc it will cause some issues.
(due to my health issues, we check my zinc/copper levels every 4-5 months)
possible products - i buy the Now Foods Zinc piconolinate from iHerb - 50mg capsules (i am taking over 150mg a day at the moment)
the other product that iHerb have, that has no MC nasties is the country life brand
http://www.iherb.com/Country-Life-Glute ... =null&ic=9
these are 25mg so you could have one in the am, two in the pm and get 75mg per day....
the other option is a zinc liquid - take some tablets /some liquid to keep costs reasonable and optimise absorption
http://www.iherb.com/Eidon-Mineral-Supp ... =null&ic=6
Hope this helps!!
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
The other way to optimise zinc absorption, (either zinc rich food or supplement) is to not have the zinc near iron rich foods/supplements and calcium rich foods/supplement Iron and Calcium affect zinc absorption
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/zinc
a thought i just had about Copper and having small amount while supplementing zinc. Avocado is rich in copper, as are blackberries etc.
if histamines are not too much of an issue for you, having foods with a bit of copper in them might be enough to 'balance' the high zinc intake...
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/zinc
the bottom of the link above - also has a list of medications that Zinc may interact with - double check this list....Available Forms
Zinc is available in several forms. Zinc sulfate is the least expensive form, but it is the least easily absorbed and may cause stomach upset.
More easily absorbed forms of zinc are zinc picolinate, zinc citrate, zinc acetate, zinc glycerate, and zinc monomethionine. If zinc sulfate causes stomach irritation, you can try another form, such as zinc citrate.
The amount of elemental zinc is listed on the product label (usually 30 - 50 mg). To determine the amount to take in supplement form, remember that you get about 10 - 15 mg from food.
a thought i just had about Copper and having small amount while supplementing zinc. Avocado is rich in copper, as are blackberries etc.
if histamines are not too much of an issue for you, having foods with a bit of copper in them might be enough to 'balance' the high zinc intake...
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
our bodies are a pretty complex chemical/biological device....
everything is so interconnected and delicate,
my other suggestion, slow and steady with working up to the high dose... take a few weeks to get up to high dose
everything is so interconnected and delicate,
my other suggestion, slow and steady with working up to the high dose... take a few weeks to get up to high dose
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Bev,
On my eye doc appt. recently I was also told to take the eye vitamins, and I did a lot of research. The studies are clear that using these vitamins can slow down the progression of age-related macular degeneration - in at least 30% of the cases.
The good news is that the more recent AREDS 2 study found the exact same benefits using only 25 mg. of zinc per day instead of the 80 mg. used in the original study. So you could do the 25 mg. now, which should be a lot easier on the gut.
You are correct that none of the commercial preps that contain all of the vitamins needed for eye health will work for us. Every single one of them contains vitamin E from soy. I have decided to try to take take individual vitamins, although that's a lot of pills a day! I found 2 vitamin E preps that are made from non-GMO sunflower oil. Also, I ordered zinc as zinc gluconate. Apparently a major problem with zinc supplements is that many of them contain cadmium as a contaminant, and that is not something we want to put into our bodies. I read that zinc gluconate is one of the best for avoiding avoid cadmium:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11474903
If you would like to discuss further, feel free to PM me.
Polly
On my eye doc appt. recently I was also told to take the eye vitamins, and I did a lot of research. The studies are clear that using these vitamins can slow down the progression of age-related macular degeneration - in at least 30% of the cases.
The good news is that the more recent AREDS 2 study found the exact same benefits using only 25 mg. of zinc per day instead of the 80 mg. used in the original study. So you could do the 25 mg. now, which should be a lot easier on the gut.
You are correct that none of the commercial preps that contain all of the vitamins needed for eye health will work for us. Every single one of them contains vitamin E from soy. I have decided to try to take take individual vitamins, although that's a lot of pills a day! I found 2 vitamin E preps that are made from non-GMO sunflower oil. Also, I ordered zinc as zinc gluconate. Apparently a major problem with zinc supplements is that many of them contain cadmium as a contaminant, and that is not something we want to put into our bodies. I read that zinc gluconate is one of the best for avoiding avoid cadmium:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11474903
If you would like to discuss further, feel free to PM me.
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
thanks for that info Polly. I recently saw my eye doc to do the testing leading up to cataract surgery in both eyes, which I now have scheduled for May and June. He said I should definitely should be taking the eye formula and to replicate it if I couldn't take the commercial preparations. He verified that the zinc had gone down to 25 mg. So here is what I'm taking:
25 mg zinc gluconate (half of a 50 mg Now Foods tab, splits easily)
400 IU Now Foods Sun E, derived from sunflower oil
500 mg Vitamin C
20 mg lutein with 840 mcg zeaxanthin
There is nothing on the internet that I could find about this recent incarnation of the formula, and wanted to make sure I have everything I need.
I know in the past that I've sent several private messages successfully but apparently have forgotten how--I tried twice to PM you and find that it doesn't show up in my sent messages, so decided to send this in the hopes that you see it.
If anyone can instruct me on PM mechanics, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks again to Gabes and Polly for this valuable information.
Beverly
25 mg zinc gluconate (half of a 50 mg Now Foods tab, splits easily)
400 IU Now Foods Sun E, derived from sunflower oil
500 mg Vitamin C
20 mg lutein with 840 mcg zeaxanthin
There is nothing on the internet that I could find about this recent incarnation of the formula, and wanted to make sure I have everything I need.
I know in the past that I've sent several private messages successfully but apparently have forgotten how--I tried twice to PM you and find that it doesn't show up in my sent messages, so decided to send this in the hopes that you see it.
If anyone can instruct me on PM mechanics, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks again to Gabes and Polly for this valuable information.
Beverly
Beverly,
Look in your Outbox. The PMs you send will remain there until the addressee opens them, at that point the system will transfer them to your Sent box. Maybe Polly just didn't notice that she had some PM messages and so she didn't open them.
If the messages are not in either of those 2 boxes, it's possible that you might be accidentally clicking on either the "Save as draft" or "Preview" buttons, instead of the "Submit" button.
Tex
Look in your Outbox. The PMs you send will remain there until the addressee opens them, at that point the system will transfer them to your Sent box. Maybe Polly just didn't notice that she had some PM messages and so she didn't open them.
If the messages are not in either of those 2 boxes, it's possible that you might be accidentally clicking on either the "Save as draft" or "Preview" buttons, instead of the "Submit" button.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Bev,
I just checked my messages, and nope, none from you!
What you are taking is perfect, except don't forget to add some copper. I figure one mg per 25 mg of zinc will suffice. I couldn't find any 1 mg. copper pills, so I ordered the 2 mg. ones from Freeda vitamins and am planning to take one every other day. I am taking what you are, except for 10 mg. of lutein and 2 mg. of zeaxanthin and 30 mg. of zinc. We will be taking our pills once a day....not twice a day as the "official" AREDS formulations specify (since each AREDS vitamin is only 1/2 the dose - you need to take 2 pills to equal the full daily dose.). So we can compare notes as time goes by. Are you tolerating everything OK?
I will PM you and give you my private email address so we can keep in touch. Also, I will send you some info on the recent incarnation of this formula.
Polly
I just checked my messages, and nope, none from you!
What you are taking is perfect, except don't forget to add some copper. I figure one mg per 25 mg of zinc will suffice. I couldn't find any 1 mg. copper pills, so I ordered the 2 mg. ones from Freeda vitamins and am planning to take one every other day. I am taking what you are, except for 10 mg. of lutein and 2 mg. of zeaxanthin and 30 mg. of zinc. We will be taking our pills once a day....not twice a day as the "official" AREDS formulations specify (since each AREDS vitamin is only 1/2 the dose - you need to take 2 pills to equal the full daily dose.). So we can compare notes as time goes by. Are you tolerating everything OK?
I will PM you and give you my private email address so we can keep in touch. Also, I will send you some info on the recent incarnation of this formula.
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
thanks so much for this information and your email address--I'll get right on the copper so I can add it asap. I'm tolerating the 2 new pills (zinc and E) just fine--I'd already been taking the lutein formulation. I just printed out the NIH document and noticed the 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids. I'm taking a vitacost label Krill oil that has 1000 mg of krill but only a total of 130 mg of omega 3 fatty acids, 50 mg EPA,20 mg DHA, 20mg omega 6 fatty acids. As expensive as this KriaXanthin supplement is, I'm disappointed that it is actually low on the omega 3. Should I look for a different formula?
Tex, thanks for the PM info. Something strange is going on--I seem to have an intermittent line that has in and out boxes, etc. I'd accessed my sent messages via my profile before, but this line was here earlier and is now gone. I'm pretty sure I always hit "Submit", but Polly did verify that she had nothing in her inbox from me.
Thanks again,
Beverly
Tex, thanks for the PM info. Something strange is going on--I seem to have an intermittent line that has in and out boxes, etc. I'd accessed my sent messages via my profile before, but this line was here earlier and is now gone. I'm pretty sure I always hit "Submit", but Polly did verify that she had nothing in her inbox from me.
Thanks again,
Beverly
Beverly,
You're apparently having a browser/cookie problem. Try clearing your cookie cache so that the system has to set a new cookie for your permissions for this board. If you're not sure how to do that in your browser, you can just click on the link at the bottom of this page that says "Remove cookies set by this forum", and follow the on-screen directions. When it instructs you to close your browser, be sure that you close all open tabs, otherwise it will not actually clear the cookie cache. Be sure you remember your password before you do this though, because if the cookie cache is properly cleared, you will have to enter your username and password the first time you log in.
Tex
You're apparently having a browser/cookie problem. Try clearing your cookie cache so that the system has to set a new cookie for your permissions for this board. If you're not sure how to do that in your browser, you can just click on the link at the bottom of this page that says "Remove cookies set by this forum", and follow the on-screen directions. When it instructs you to close your browser, be sure that you close all open tabs, otherwise it will not actually clear the cookie cache. Be sure you remember your password before you do this though, because if the cookie cache is properly cleared, you will have to enter your username and password the first time you log in.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
oh, that makes total sense! Recently I was trying to get some of these popups and other obnoxious ads off my computer, and I raised my security to the highest level. I'm not so sure that was a good idea--trusted sites I regularly visit are one by one asking if I'll allow cookies, so have been doing that. Otherwise I can't access the site. I think that must have been what happened! Thanks, Tex, golly it's nice to have a resident genius!
Beverly
Beverly
If you don't already have this installed on your computer, I highly recommend a program called superantispyware. Use it to scan your computer to locate and then remove those ad programs. Here's a link where you can download it if you are interested, and be sure to click on the "Free Edition" button (unless you particularly want the paid version). The free version works just fine for removing the common types of adware that you mentioned. Be sure to update the database each time you use it because new ads are being added every day.
http://www.superantispyware.com/
Tex
http://www.superantispyware.com/
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi again Bev,
Two more comments:
1. The AREDS 2 study found no difference when omega 3 was added. So, you do not have to worry about which formula to take.
2. The amount of zeaxanthin in your pill is less than half the amount that was used in the AREDS 2 study. They recommend 2 mg (which equals 2000 mcg) and you are only taking .8 mg (840 mcg). I am taking a prep from "Pure" that contains 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin.
Polly
Two more comments:
1. The AREDS 2 study found no difference when omega 3 was added. So, you do not have to worry about which formula to take.
2. The amount of zeaxanthin in your pill is less than half the amount that was used in the AREDS 2 study. They recommend 2 mg (which equals 2000 mcg) and you are only taking .8 mg (840 mcg). I am taking a prep from "Pure" that contains 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin.
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Tex, I just cleared all the computer's cookies, also did from the bottom of this site. I actually removed the battery from the laptop to get it to shut all the way down, then logged back in. This site showed a stored username and password that I logged in under. I still don't have the line that shows in & out boxes, etc. What am I doing wrong?
thanks, Beverly
thanks, Beverly