Zinc sulfate 220 mg: how much elemental zinc it carries

Did anyone take 220 mg of zinc three times a day?

Yes, in one trial on this page, and the paper states each dose as 50 mg of elemental zinc in 220 mg of zinc sulphate. Its volunteers were healthy women and men, and the trial was not about fertility.

“The subjects were asked to take 50 mg of elemental zinc (as 220 mg zinc sulphate) or placebo, three times a day for six weeks.”

The same paper gives the day's total in zinc, not in salt:

“Our study also shows no detrimental effect of 150 mg of zinc a day on plasma copper levels in healthy volunteers over a period of six weeks.”

Does your label show the salt or the zinc?

A physician on video explains that the milligrams on a zinc label can weigh the whole molecule, and that the label can also give the elemental zinc it equals:

“it's the entire molecule that they're measuring so you've got it'll also say how many milligrams of Elemental zinc that is equivalent to”

Two more trials print both numbers side by side:

“Subjects were asked to consume 50 mg zinc as 220 mg zinc sulphate (equivalent to 4 x recommended dietary intake, or RDI) daily for 4 weeks, followed by placebo, and vice versa.”

“Participants were randomly assigned into two groups to take either 250 mg of magnesium oxide plus 220 mg of zinc sulfate (containing 50 mg zinc) supplements (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) twice a day for 12 weeks.”

Does zinc raise testosterone or sperm count?

Studies in men with fertility problems point both ways. Some state the dose as the salt, some as the zinc, and the oldest gives no dose at all. It reports testosterone rising only in the men who started low:

“In the first group (T less than 4.8 ng/ml; 22 patients), T and DHT rose significantly after oral administration of zinc, as did the sperm count.”

“In the second group (T greater than or equal to 4.8 ng/ml; 15 patients), T and sperm count were unaffected by zinc, while DHT increased significantly.”

Later trials name the salt, and their results go both ways:

“Fourteen infertile males (age 24-45 years; married over 2 years) with idiopathic oligospermia (sperm count less than 40 millions/ml) were investigated for the effect of oral zinc sulphate (220 mg) for 4 months on their serum and seminal zinc levels, and seminal parameters.”

“There was significant improvement in sperm count, number of progressively motile and normal spermatozoa, and acid phosphates activity.”

“In this study, 100 men with asthenozoospermia were randomised into two groups--250 mg twice daily zinc therapy for 3 months and no therapy.”

“There was significant improvement in the sperm quality; sperm count (P<.02), progressive motility (P<.05), fertilising capacity (P<.01) and a reduction in the incidence of antisperm antibodies (P<.01).”

“Eighty-three OAT men participated in a 16-week intervention randomised, double-blind clinical trial with daily treatment of folic acid (5 mg day(-1) ) and zinc sulphate (220 mg day(-1) ), or placebo.”

“This study showed that zinc sulphate and folic acid supplementation did not ameliorate sperm quality in infertile men with severely compromised sperm parameters, OAT.”

A review counts 66 mg of zinc a day with folic acid as promising. A Dutch trial gave that same combination, and its abstract names the salt:

“The systematic review identified promising data for supplementation with 66 mg/day zinc combined with folic acid (5 mg/day), and the polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA;”

“Folic acid was given at a daily dose of 5 mg, and zinc sulfate was given at a daily dose of 66 mg.”

The largest trial here states its dose as elemental zinc, and found no significant gain:

“Men were block randomized by study center and planned infertility treatment (in vitro fertilization, other treatment at a study site, and other treatment at an outside clinic) to receive either 5 mg of folic acid and 30 mg of elemental zinc (n = 1185) or placebo (n = 1185) daily for 6 months.”

“Among a general population of couples seeking infertility treatment, the use of folic acid and zinc supplementation by male partners, compared with placebo, did not significantly improve semen quality or couples' live birth rates.”

One more trial, in men whose infertility comes from low hormone signals, added zinc to their hormone treatment and calls the extra benefit very subtle:

“The additional improvement of 40 mg day-1 oral zinc supplementation on spermatogenesis and masculinization in male IHH patients is very subtle.”

Can a lot of zinc every day lower your copper?

The sources disagree. This quote warns against high daily zinc because it can get in the way of absorbing copper:

“people should not be taking that much zinc on a daily basis because it can also inhibit the absorption of other trace elements for example copper”

The trial in healthy volunteers quoted above found no harm to blood copper at 150 mg of zinc a day for six weeks. The same paper reports stomach and other symptoms in 84% of the women, and six women stopped early:

“Symptoms, which included headaches, abdominal cramps, nausea, loss of appetite and vomiting, were registered from 84% of women and 18% of men.”

“Six female volunteers discontinued the trial; five owing to gastric irritation and one owing to consistent headaches.”

For scale, the researcher who warned about copper above gives the recommended daily amount:

“The RDA for zinc is 11 milligrams per day for adult males and 9 milligrams a day for females.”

Precis, our sister site, grades this claim about a daily dose Not enough evidence so far:

“15 to 30 mg of zinc a day is the right dose for maintenance.”

Is there an optimal zinc level in the blood?

Nobody we follow has put a number on your zinc level. They talk about the dose you take, not the level in your blood. The zinc page shows the range your lab prints.

This page does not diagnose anything and does not tell you what to take. If your zinc result sits outside the range printed on your own report, take it to your doctor.