The FLCCC protocol recommends taking 30-40 mg daily of elemental zinc for prevention and 100 mg a day for an active case of Covid.
Why zinc?
Can zinc levels predict COVID-19 severity?
“Individuals with low zinc levels had a significantly greater mortality rate (21%) than those in the healthy zinc group (5%).”
Which zinc?
It turns out that different sources of zinc provide different amounts of elemental zinc.
This came up from a quick Google search:
Also important is bio-availability, in this article by Labdoor:
For each formulation, Labdoor also considers relative bioavailability, or the fraction of a supplement dose that actually reaches your bloodstream as compared to other formulations.
Bioavailability differs between formulations and does not necessarily correlate with elemental zinc content. Zinc oxide, for example, has an extremely high elemental zinc percentage at 80%, but clinical studies show that only a small portion of zinc in this form is readily absorbable. On the other hand, zinc monomethionine, in which zinc is chelated to an amino acid, is only 21% elemental zinc, but has one of the highest bioavailabilities of all the zinc formulations. Researchers hypothesize that this is due to a mechanism in our intestinal wall that specifically supports amino acid absorption.
Copper with zinc:
I’ve looked around a bit, and all sources agree that copper needs to be considered when supplementing with zinc, however, not all sources agree.
This, from the Life Extension site:
“Supplemental zinc can inhibit the absorption and availability of copper. If more than 50 mg of supplemental zinc is to be taken daily for more than four weeks, 2 mg of supplemental copper should also be taken to reduce the risk of copper deficiency.”
This from Thorne:
“Additional studies indicate copper supplementation along with zinc helps balance absorption of both nutrients. Many alternative and integrative practitioners recommend a ratio of 15 mg of zinc to 1 mg of copper – similar to the ratio achieved if you remain within RDA guidelines.”
Deep dive for a full understanding of the copper/zinc ratio and your health by Dr Deanna Minich in a good article here:
“Copper and zinc are antagonists, which means they work against one another and compete for binding sites. Excess zinc can lead to a copper deficiency and vice versa.”
Dr Berg has this video on copper and zinc here.
Possible supplements:
Dr Z’s Vitamins zinc and copper. This is the one I’m taking. It’s a really pretty pale aqua color, and I enjoyed the marketing piece on Amazon. Is this the best and exact ratio I should take? Close enough for me.
Here is a supplement from Now Foods, on Amazon.
Here is one from Jarrow Formulas on Amazon.
I understand that choosing your zinc and copper supplementation is not necessarily easy and clear-cut. I wish it was. I hope I have provided you with some helpful information. In the end, for myself, I decided to take the plunge and just make an educated guess. Probably investigating existing levels through blood testing is the only completely accurate way to handle this area.
Hair Analysis:
Another promising avenue would be to do a hair analysis. I’ll be willing to take a bet that this is just as accurate as blood serum testing.
Just poking around online, I found this one from Perfect Balance, a company that offers hair analysis.
“Every single mineral in the body has an effect on every other mineral whether it is beneficial or not. An imbalance occurs if just one is incorrect in its amount which sets off a chain reaction of imbalances and compensations.
A person may say “I’m only taking a little calcium” or it could be some other mineral like copper, iron or zinc, etc. Harm can be caused by taking a supplement that is not needed or by not taking it in the right amount and in conjunction with other mineral or vitamin supplements.”
Be well, do well, stay well!
