special subjects
Zinc
Recommendations
Zinc supplements are not recommended for people in high-resource countries because most people in such countries get enough zinc through their diet without taking zinc supplements and taking too much zinc can lead to toxic levels with serious side effects. However, zinc supplements can decrease deaths due to common infections among children in low-resource countries. High-dose zinc supplements should not be taken unless recommended by a doctor to treat a Zinc Deficiency . It is not clear whether zinc supplements reduce the duration of common colds, but any such effect is unlikely to be anything more than minimal. Zinc may also help control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes or prediabetes. 