Can You Take Zinc and Vitamin C Together?
We get it, hopping aboard the supplements train can feel overwhelming at times. With so many different options out there, it can be hard to know which ones to take and when to take them.
Our bodies are incredibly complex and require a variety of nutrients and micronutrients to function at their best. While it’s important to try and get these from a healthy, well-rounded diet, it can be tough to hit every mark. Dietary supplements are designed to provide the extra boost our bodies need to function at its most optimal level.
Two popular nutrients that have been in the wellness spotlight lately are vitamin C and zinc. Both known for their immune-supporting properties, they’ve become especially important during the recent pandemic. But did you know they also have other benefits for your overall health?
Here’s a closer look at these two powerhouse nutrients, their specific benefits and important things to consider when implementing them into your vitamins routine.
Vitamin C Benefits
Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally occurring in many fruits and veggies, including leafy greens, citrus and berries. This essential vitamin is most closely associated with its benefits for immune health. It is frequently added to immune support supplements, but vitamin C has many other benefits.
Here’s a peek at some of the functions of vitamin C and how it can benefit your health.
Skin
Your skin is your body's largest organ, and it represents the first line of defense against the outside world. Aside from providing a functional purpose for your body, your skin is also the first thing people notice about your appearance. We all want clear skin!
Within the layers of skin, there is a structural protein known as collagen that helps to provide skin with its elasticity and youthful-looking appearance. As people get older, the amount of collagen can decline, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin C has a unique pro-collagen effect on the skin, supporting healthy collagen production.
Our Pro-Collagen Vitamin Serum contains vitamin C for this very reason. The serum provides deeply penetrating moisture while also delivering vitamin C directly to the skin, where it can provide collagen production support.
Antioxidant
Stressors constantly bombard the body, and one of those stressors that occurs at a cellular level is oxidative stress. This chemical form of stress is caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals.
These molecules are highly reactive and steal electrons from nearby molecules. Over time this can start causing issues like inflammation.
Antioxidants are molecules that either neutralize free radicals or keep them from causing damage. Vitamin C is one of only a few vitamins that have an antioxidant effect on the body. Getting enough vitamin C consistently may help retain oxidative balance within the body and provide some antioxidant support to the skin.
Immune Health
The immune system is the body’s means of defending itself from foreign invaders. The process of active immunity is quite complex. It involves white blood cells identifying a foreign invader and enlisting the help of specialized cells to create antibodies that effectively fight off an infection.
Vitamin C is an organic compound that plays a role in both the active and passive immune response. Many people take vitamin C when they start feeling run down, like they are getting sick, and while many people do this, there is little evidence to support that it helps.
What helps your immune system is taking vitamin C consistently to ensure your body has adequate levels to support your immune function. Taking vitamin c supplements has been shown to help support the body, especially when fighting against the common cold. Vitamin C won’t keep you from getting sick, but it can help to maintain your immune function.
Zinc Benefits
Zinc is another nutrient that is important to your health. Zinc is classified as an essential mineral, and these inorganic elements play a role in many parts of the body. Some other minerals your body needs include magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, copper and many others.
Zinc is particularly important in supporting your overall health as it is utilized in functional subunits of many different enzymes and proteins of the body. Getting enough zinc means that these important molecules can work as they should.
Let’s look at some of the benefits of taking zinc supplements if you lack zinc in your diet or are potentially zinc-deficient.
Immune Health
One important role that zinc has within the body is the immune system. The immune system requires several specialized cells to function as it should, and zinc plays an important role in the development of many different immune cells.
A lack of zinc can also directly impact some of the actions of the immune system that are necessary for a targeted immune response.
Healing
The process of healing tends to go unnoticed, but it is one of the most crucial biochemical processes in the body. When you sustain a wound such as a cut or scrape on the skin, it removes the physiological barrier between your body and the outside world, making it much easier for pathogens to enter the body and cause issues.
The process of wound healing helps to effectively mitigate the time that your body is vulnerable to infection by closing the wound and re-establishing the skin barrier.
Wound healing can be broken down into different phases, including coagulation, inflammation, cell division and remodeling. Zinc plays an important role throughout the wound-healing process, and individuals that are zinc deficient may have compromised healing abilities.
DNA Support
DNA, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid, is a vital molecule found within nearly every cell of your body. This molecule encodes the proteins necessary for a cell to function and contains the genetic information that makes you, you.
Zinc is an important element in DNA regulation, maintenance, and protection. DNA is an important molecule within the body, and getting enough zinc may help to maintain and protect this important molecule.
Should You Take Zinc Together With Vitamin C?
Some vitamins, minerals, and supplements require specific considerations when you take them. Some nutrients are better absorbed when taken with a meal, while others are better off when you have an empty stomach.
When it comes to vitamin C and zinc, both of these nutrients are best taken shortly following a meal. Taking these supplements with a meal or following a meal may help to prevent side effects like an upset stomach.
For this reason, they can be taken together, and they are actually commonly included together in something like a multivitamin.
Things To Consider
Supplementation is a great way to fill in the nutritional gaps in your diet, but it is important to talk through your supplements with your healthcare provider. Nearly all supplements are over-the-counter and generally safe to use. Still, medical advice is important before starting a supplement regimen as certain medical conditions and medications may have contraindications to taking the particular supplement.
One such example would be if you received high doses of vitamin C as a part of medical treatment, you would likely not want to supplement additional vitamin C.
Other Nutrients to Consider
Vitamin C and zinc represent only a small portion of the nutrients you should be getting daily. Below is a closer look at some nutrients your body cannot produce on its own and needs to be consumed regularly to maintain healthy levels.
The essential vitamins that you should consume regularly in addition to vitamin C include vitamin D (vitamin D3 and vitamin D2), vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12 and folate).
The essential minerals you should regularly consume in addition to zinc include selenium, calcium, chloride, cobalt, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulfur.
Conclusion
In summary, zinc and vitamin C are nutrients that play an important role in immunity. Our Immune + dietary supplement formula contains both of these ingredients and herbs to provide well-rounded immune system support. These ingredients are safe and effective to take together, and they can provide a number of benefits to the body when taken regularly.
Sources:
Vitamin C - Health Professional Fact Sheet | National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Zinc - Health Professional Fact Sheet | National Institutes of Health (NIH)