Zinc is a blood test that measures zinc levels in the blood. Normal range: Serum zinc is typically around 10-18 μmol/L. It has a daily rhythm and falls with meals and during any inflammation, so a fasting morning sample taken when well is most reliable. Plasma zinc is an imperfect reflection of total body zinc.. It is commonly used to deficiencies can impair wound healing, fertility, and immune response..
What is Zinc?
A trace element essential for immune function and cell division.
Why is it measured?
Deficiencies can impair wound healing, fertility, and immune response.
Normal Reference Range
Serum zinc is typically around 10-18 μmol/L. It has a daily rhythm and falls with meals and during any inflammation, so a fasting morning sample taken when well is most reliable. Plasma zinc is an imperfect reflection of total body zinc.
Note: Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. Always consult your healthcare provider for interpretation.
What Causes High ZINC?
High zinc is almost always due to supplementation or, occasionally, contamination of the sample tube. Sustained high intake is itself a problem because it blocks copper absorption and can cause a secondary copper deficiency with anaemia and low neutrophils.
What Causes Low ZINC?
Low zinc impairs wound healing, immunity, taste and smell, fertility, and skin and hair health. Common causes are inadequate intake (vegetarian and vegan diets, where zinc is less bioavailable, and in older adults), malabsorption from coeliac or inflammatory bowel disease, excess alcohol, and increased losses in chronic illness. Levels also drop transiently during any acute illness regardless of true status.
How Often Should ZINC Be Tested?
Zinc is measured when deficiency is suspected — poor wound healing, recurrent infections, hair loss, taste changes, or skin rashes — and ideally as a fasting morning sample taken when not acutely unwell. It is monitored in people on long-term parenteral nutrition or with chronic malabsorption.
Related Blood Markers
Zinc is interpreted with copper (high zinc lowers copper), albumin (its main carrier, so low albumin lowers measured zinc), and CRP, since inflammation depresses zinc independently of stores.
Key Facts
- •Category: Nutritional Status
- •Unit of Measurement: μmol/L
- •Test Code: ZINC
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