Zinc benefits: the small mineral behind big performances
Zinc works in the background of almost everything an endurance athlete does: breathing out CO₂ during a hard climb, turning carbohydrate and fat into energy, rebuilding muscle after a long run and keeping the immune system ready through heavy training blocks. Your body cannot store it, you lose some of it in every litre of sweat, and the form you take decides how much of it you can actually use. Here is how zinc works, the 16 benefits of zinc that matter most, and why the liposomal form is the smarter way to take it.
Key takeaways
- Zinc is needed by around 10% of all proteins in the human body, including hundreds of enzymes.
- The body has no dedicated zinc store, so you need a steady daily supply.
- Endurance athletes lose zinc through sweat, and low zinc intake has been shown to reduce peak oxygen uptake in physically active men.
- Zinc contributes to normal testosterone levels, immunity, protein synthesis, energy metabolism and much more.
- The form matters: liposomal zinc wraps zinc in a protective lipid shell that shields it from moisture and from reacting with other food components, preserving its bioavailability.
What is zinc and why do you need it every day?
Zinc is an essential trace mineral. “Essential” means your body cannot make it, so it has to come from food or supplements. “Trace” means you only need a few milligrams a day, but those few milligrams are involved in a remarkable number of processes.
Unlike iron, which the body stores in the liver, or calcium, which it keeps in the bones, there is no dedicated zinc reserve that your body can draw on when intake drops. Most of your zinc sits inside muscle and bone, locked into tissue where it is doing a job. That is why a steady daily intake matters, and why the benefits of zinc depend on getting enough of it, consistently, in a form your body can use.
How does zinc work in the body?
Zinc acts in three main ways. Understanding them explains almost every zinc benefit on this page.
1. A catalyst inside enzymes
Hundreds of enzymes need a zinc ion at their active site to work. One of the most important for athletes is carbonic anhydrase, the red blood cell enzyme that converts carbon dioxide into bicarbonate so it can be carried to the lungs and breathed out. It is also central to the body’s acid-base buffering.
2. A structural “zinc finger”
Many proteins that read and switch on your genes are shaped by zinc. These zinc-finger proteins control DNA synthesis, cell division and protein synthesis: the processes that repair muscle, renew skin and build immune cells.
3. A signal and a shield
Zinc acts as a messenger inside immune and nerve cells, and it is part of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), one of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes that neutralises free radicals produced during hard exercise.
How is zinc absorbed, and why is it easily lost?
Zinc is absorbed mainly in the small intestine. Specialised transporters on the gut wall (called ZIP4) pull zinc into the intestinal cells, and another transporter (ZnT1) passes it into the blood. From there it travels bound to albumin to every tissue that needs it.
Swallowed
Zinc arrives in the stomach with your meal.
Released
Digestion frees the zinc so it can be taken up.
Absorbed
ZIP4 transporters in the small intestine pull it in.
Transported
ZnT1 moves it into the blood, bound to albumin.
Put to work
Muscles, immune cells, skin, bones and enzymes.
Along the way, several things work against you:
- Phytates in whole grains, legumes and seeds bind zinc and reduce how much you absorb. That is why official zinc recommendations rise with phytate intake, and why plant-based athletes need to pay extra attention.
- Competing minerals, such as high-dose iron supplements taken at the same time, share absorption pathways with zinc.
- Sweat carries zinc out of the body. Studies of athletes exercising in the heat and during prolonged exercise have measured zinc losses in sweat that add up over long sessions.
- No storage: whatever is not absorbed today cannot be borrowed from a reserve tomorrow.
Zinc your body can actually use
LipoZinc¹²⁵ delivers 25 mg of liposomal zinc in one vegan capsule a day.
What are the benefits of zinc for athletes?
These are the zinc benefits that matter most when you train for distance, built on the mechanisms above.
Supports oxygen uptake and CO₂ removal
Carbonic anhydrase needs zinc to clear CO₂ from working muscles. In a controlled study by the US Department of Agriculture, when physically active men followed a low-zinc diet for nine weeks, red blood cell carbonic anhydrase activity fell, and so did peak oxygen uptake and CO₂ output during cycling tests, compared with an adequate-zinc diet (Lukaski, 2005).
Zinc contributes to normal acid-base metabolism
Turns carbohydrate into energy
Glycogen and glucose are the main fuel for intense endurance work. Zinc-dependent enzymes take part in the pathways that break carbohydrate down and release its energy.
Zinc contributes to normal carbohydrate metabolism
Helps burn fat on the long days
The longer and steadier the effort, the more you rely on fat. Zinc is involved in the metabolism of fatty acids, the fuel that carries you through the second half of a marathon or a long ride.
Zinc contributes to normal metabolism of fatty acids
Repairs and rebuilds muscle
Every session creates micro-damage that has to be repaired. Through its zinc-finger proteins, zinc controls the genetic machinery that builds new protein, helping muscle adapt and come back stronger.
Zinc contributes to normal protein synthesis
Protects testosterone under heavy training
Testosterone drives recovery, lean mass and strength. Low zinc status is associated with lower serum testosterone (Prasad et al., 1996). In a four-week study, the drop in testosterone and thyroid hormones normally seen after exhausting exercise did not occur once participants were supplemented with zinc (Kilic, 2007).
Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood
Keeps you training through heavy blocks
Hard training, travel and race weeks put the immune system under pressure. A missed week of training costs more fitness than any supplement can add. Zinc is needed for the development and activity of immune cells.
Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system
Fights exercise-induced oxidative stress
Long efforts generate free radicals. As part of the antioxidant enzyme Cu/Zn-SOD, zinc helps neutralise them before they damage cells.
Zinc contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress
Supports muscle strength and endurance
An early controlled study reported that zinc supplementation increased muscle strength and endurance (Krotkiewski et al., 1982), and zinc is essential for wound and tissue healing, which matters for athletes dealing with injuries or muscle damage.
Zinc has a role in the process of cell division
Built for endurance athletes
One capsule of LipoZinc¹²⁵ gives you 250% NRV of zinc, the maximum daily level allowed for supplements in the EU.
What are the health benefits of zinc?
Beyond performance, zinc benefits reach almost every system in the body, which is why it matters for wellbeing, healthy ageing and brain health as much as for sport.
A stronger immune system
Zinc is needed to develop and activate T-cells and other immune cells. Separately, research on high-dose zinc lozenges (a different use from a daily capsule) found that they shortened the duration of the common cold by about a third (Hemilä, 2017).
Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system
Hormonal health and fertility
Zinc is highly concentrated in reproductive tissue and is needed for healthy hormone production in both men and women.
Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction
Sharp thinking and memory
Zinc is stored in nerve endings in the brain, particularly in the hippocampus, the region involved in learning and memory, where it acts as a signalling molecule.
Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function
Healthy, resilient skin
Skin renews itself constantly. Zinc supports the cell division and protein synthesis that rebuild it, and it is essential for normal wound healing.
Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal skin
Strong hair
Hair follicles are among the fastest-dividing cells in the body, which makes them sensitive to low zinc status.
Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal hair
Bone health
Around a third of the body’s zinc is found in bone, where it supports the cells that build new bone tissue.
Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal bones
Clear vision
The retina holds some of the highest zinc concentrations in the body, and zinc helps the body use vitamin A, which the eye needs to see in low light.
Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal vision and to normal metabolism of vitamin A
Healthy ageing at the cellular level
Every new cell needs an accurate copy of its DNA. Zinc supports DNA synthesis and cell division, and protects cells from the oxidative stress that accumulates with age.
Zinc contributes to normal DNA synthesis
Does the form of zinc matter?
Yes. The zinc benefits you actually get depend on the form you take. Zinc in supplements always comes attached to something, and that partner decides how concentrated the zinc is, how stable it stays and how much of it your body absorbs.
Zinc oxide is the most concentrated form of zinc and is very stable, but on its own it is not the best absorbed. In a double-isotope study in healthy adults, plain zinc oxide was absorbed significantly less well (about 50%) than zinc citrate or zinc gluconate (about 61%) when taken without food (Wegmüller et al., 2013). Zinc salts such as gluconate and citrate dissolve more easily but carry much less zinc per gram, and their free zinc is reactive in the gut and in the mouth, which is where the well-known metallic taste comes from.
Liposomal zinc was developed to combine the best of both: the high zinc concentration of zinc oxide, protected inside a lipid shell that preserves its bioavailability.
What are the benefits of liposomal zinc?
LipoZinc¹²⁵ uses ZincNova™, a patented zinc ingredient in which non-reactive zinc oxide is microencapsulated inside a food-grade lipid carrier made from mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids. Each tiny, spherical particle is a protected package of zinc. Here is what that shell does for you.
Preserved bioavailability
The lipid shell keeps zinc in a non-reactive state, so it is not lost to unwanted reactions before your body has a chance to absorb it.
Fewer interactions with food
The microencapsulation delays undesirable interactions between zinc and other components of food, so the zinc stays available when taken with a meal.
Fully released in digestion
The shell protects zinc on the way in, then opens up during digestion. In laboratory digestion tests, nearly all of the zinc was released within two hours.
Protected from moisture
The lipid coating prevents moisture uptake, helping each capsule stay stable from the first day to the last.
Less metallic taste
Because the zinc is wrapped in lipid rather than exposed, the typical metallic taste of zinc is reduced.
Maximum dose, small capsule
Zinc oxide is the most zinc-dense form there is, so 125 mg of ZincNova™ delivers a full 25 mg of elemental zinc in one small vegan capsule.
| What matters | Plain zinc oxide | Zinc salts (gluconate, citrate) | Liposomal zinc (ZincNova™) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc concentration | Very high | Low to moderate | High (zinc oxide core) |
| Protective lipid shell | No | No | Yes |
| Reactivity with food components | Reactive | Reactive | Delayed by microencapsulation |
| Moisture protection | No | No | Yes |
| Metallic taste | Possible | Common | Reduced |
Sources: Lubrizol ZincNova™ technical documentation; Wegmüller et al., 2013.
Feel the liposomal difference
ZincNova™ liposomal zinc, 25 mg per capsule, 30 vegan capsules. Designed for athletes who go further.
Which athletes need zinc most?
Every athlete needs zinc, but the demands change with the sport.
High mileage, high turnover
Weekly mileage means repeated muscle repair, constant sweat losses and heavy demands on the immune system. Zinc supports protein synthesis and immune function between sessions.
Long hours, big lungs
Hours in the saddle mean hours of sweating. Zinc keeps carbonic anhydrase working so you can clear CO₂ on long climbs and sustained threshold efforts.
Three sports, one recovery system
Swim, bike and run training stack up into the highest weekly loads in endurance sport. Zinc supports the energy metabolism, protein synthesis and normal testosterone levels that recovery depends on.
The hidden sweat
Swimmers sweat too, they just do not see it. High training volumes and early starts make immune support and oxidative-stress protection a priority.
The long build
A marathon block means months of rising volume. Zinc helps fuel the long run, from carbohydrate in the first half to fat in the second, and keeps your immune system strong ahead of race day.
How much zinc do you need, and when should you take it?
How much zinc per day?
European reference intakes for adults range from about 7.5 to 16.3 mg of zinc per day, rising as phytate intake rises. Athletes with high sweat losses and people on plant-based diets sit at the higher end.
The tolerable upper intake level for adults in Europe is 25 mg per day, which is exactly what one capsule of LipoZinc¹²⁵ provides: the maximum allowed by EU health authorities for supplement use.
When to take zinc
- Take 1 capsule per day with a meal and plenty of water.
- Take it at the same time each day to build the habit.
- Take high-dose iron or calcium supplements at a different meal.
- Do not combine with other zinc supplements, and do not exceed the recommended dose.
Zinc benefits FAQ
What are the main benefits of zinc?
The main zinc benefits are its contributions to the normal function of the immune system, normal testosterone levels, normal protein synthesis, normal cognitive function and the maintenance of normal skin, hair, bones and vision. For athletes it also supports acid-base, carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism.
Is zinc good for athletes?
Yes. Athletes lose zinc in sweat, and research in physically active men showed that low zinc intake reduced carbonic anhydrase activity and peak oxygen uptake during cycling tests. Getting enough zinc helps protect energy metabolism, recovery and immunity.
What is liposomal zinc?
Liposomal zinc is zinc wrapped in a protective lipid shell. In LipoZinc¹²⁵, zinc oxide is microencapsulated in a food-grade fat carrier (ZincNova™), which prevents moisture uptake and delays unwanted interactions with food components to preserve bioavailability.
Is liposomal zinc better than regular zinc?
Liposomal zinc combines the high zinc content of zinc oxide with a lipid shell that protects it, keeps it non-reactive until digestion and reduces the metallic taste. Plain zinc oxide on its own is absorbed less well than other forms, which is the problem the liposomal shell is designed to solve.
Does zinc increase testosterone?
Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels. Low zinc status is linked with lower testosterone, so zinc is most helpful when intake would otherwise be too low, for example during heavy training with high sweat losses.
What is the best time to take zinc?
Take zinc with a meal, at the same time every day. Taking it with food is easier on the stomach, and keep high-dose iron or calcium supplements for a different meal.
Can you take too much zinc?
Yes. Long-term intakes above the upper limit can interfere with copper status. Stick to one capsule of LipoZinc¹²⁵ a day, do not combine it with other zinc supplements, and speak to your doctor if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.
Get every benefit of zinc, in the form built to deliver it
25 mg of ZincNova™ liposomal zinc, 250% NRV, in one vegan capsule a day. From the team building the most effective and innovative supplements for endurance athletes.
References
- Lukaski HC. Low dietary zinc decreases erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase activities and impairs cardiorespiratory function in men during exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(5):1045–1051. USDA summary
- Prasad AS, et al. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition. 1996;12(5):344–348. PubMed
- Kilic M. Effect of fatiguing bicycle exercise on thyroid hormone and testosterone levels in sedentary males supplemented with oral zinc. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007;28(5):681–685. Full text
- Krotkiewski M, et al. Zinc and muscle strength and endurance. Acta Physiol Scand. 1982;116(3):309–311. DOI
- DeRuisseau KC, et al. Sweat iron and zinc losses during prolonged exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2002;12(4):428–437. DOI
- Tipton K, et al. Zinc loss in sweat of athletes exercising in hot and neutral temperatures. Int J Sport Nutr. 1993;3(3):261–271. PubMed
- Wegmüller R, et al. Zinc absorption by young adults from supplemental zinc citrate is comparable with that from zinc gluconate and higher than from zinc oxide. J Nutr. 2014;144(2):132–136. DOI
- Hemilä H. Zinc lozenges and the common cold: a meta-analysis comparing zinc acetate and zinc gluconate. JRSM Open. 2017;8(5). PMC
- Lubrizol. ZINCNOVA™ microcapsules technical brochure. PDF
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). Proposed maximum levels for the addition of zinc to foods including food supplements (citing SCF 2003 and EFSA 2014). PDF
This website is for your education and general health information only. The ideas, opinions and suggestions contained on this website are not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from your doctor for any health condition or problem. Users of this website should not rely on information provided on this website for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician. Please do not start or stop any medications without consulting with your doctor. We neither encourage you to do so, nor can we be held responsible for the fall out of failing to seek the counsel of a medical health practitioner.