Why excess zinc in diet is a BAD thing

[Deadlifttrauma]

Zinc blocks DHT, which is the hormone which promotes all other secondary sex changes in the body including deepening of the voice, aggression, libido, facial hair and physical strength); (testosterone is only responsible for muscle mass growth - DHT is responsible for all other "masculine" characteristics) by increasing your zinc dosage to above average levels your are blocking DHT to a greater amount; this results in a very passive state in the zinc user in question in which they may feel good, but act in a very passive way.

Notice what happens when you remove excess zinc from your diet and stay at a normal intake (10-20mg per day); you will feel much more aggressive and will start to exhibit feel DHT at work and its side effect (such as afore mentioned strength gains and aggression).

Ever wondered why people who supplement zinc report a clearing up of acne and oily hair almost simultaneously? You guessed it, zinc blocks DHT and therefore the androgens responsible for the acne. Same reason zinc supplements are given to aggressive autistic and adhd children - to calm them down.

In brief, excess zinc will make a person quite passive and non-aggressiveness due to the afore mentioned lowering of DHT levels. (It does have other benefits such as clearing up acne etc. though/calming aggressive behavior) - you be the judge.

Zinc is an essential element - I make sure to get between 15-20mg a day from food sources. Just don't overdo it; it can tun you into a bit of a bitch.

[Vasyok]

Wow, that sounds interesting to me. I used to have skin problems in late 2010 which was the first time in my life. I was confused, bought a lot of expensive crap to "clean" my skin and all that. Then I saw on the internet that zinc could help. And indeed, it helped very quickly with my skin and also with oily hair. After a week or two everything was back to normal. Ever since I've been constantly and deliberately overdosing zinc (50mg almost every day from supplements + vitamines which also contain zinc, not counting zinc from food). During that time my libido constantly decreased. I thought it was mainly due to cutting and not enough sleep. But even when I stopped it didn't really improve. I went to a doctor to make a testosterone test and he said that everything was normal.
Thanks for that.
Edit: Apparently, 200g of oats a day contain enough zinc...

[bagge677]

i doubt that much people go above 20mg a day without supps.. also is there any other negative side effects than just being chill ?

[GymZombie]

Source?

[Deadlifttrauma]

zinc will raise testosterone in total (according to studies); but will lower DHT.

no negative side effects really other than decreasing androgens in the body - is actually very good for clearing up acne and oily skin (a side effect of high androgen levels); has also been reported to stop balding/hair loss (another side effect of DHT)

The source is the internet, google "zinc and dht" or "zinc calming effect". - do an experiment on yourself, take a large dose of zinc and you will find yourself suddenly feeling quite passive ("read: it obliterated your DHT levels")

[kratosbrah]

I take 60mg of source naturals zinc monomethionine a day, feel no difference? Except my acne is clearing up.

[micksmith87]

I find the same thing, whenever i add a zinc supplement (15mg) my sex drive lowers alot.
DHT responsible for sex drive then the zinc must lower DHT?

[rossmcd87]

Nice Bump.

One comment - I believe it would be hard to have too much Zinc in your diet following a balanced diet, it's more with regards to supplementation that is the issue.

I read that the vast majority of people are not deficient in Zinc. The only people who benefit from additional Zinc, are those who are. It will only raise Testosterone in those who are deficient & even then barely.

I tried Zinc alongside my Magnesium & it made my sleep worse. The reason for this was I had Roast Beef, Dark Chocolate & Zinc .... so I essentially took around 40mg in total unintentionally. I'm not even going to bother with it - I might not get enough Zinc on some days, but on other days I get plenty... looking at the overall picture, I will not be deficient & have no reason to think I am.

It is easy to take too much Zinc using supplements. I saw studies that 5-10mg is more than enough to supplement with to be beneficial for those who are deficient.

I will remark however that the Magnesium that people take alongside Zinc is the mineral that people are more likely to be deficient in. I have reason to believe I am deficient in Magnesium & although I've not had a blood test (which there are many issues with regarding Magnesium), my Doctor has told me there is no harm in supplementing with Magnesium to see if it clears the various symptoms.

Interestingly, Magnesium is depleted by strenuous exercise. I believe that I've had a small deficiency for the best part of a year which I've then compounded over the past few months with regular lifting.

[KeepPushin87]

Excess zinc makes you a bitch? LOL, zinc increases testosterone and dht (zinc was only found to lower dht when used topically), lowers estrogen, if anything zinc makes you more of a man. Zinc increases sex drive, it doesn't lower it!