Zinc Gluconate vs Zinc Picolinate: What's the Difference?

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Zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate are forms of dietary supplements that we use to prevent zinc deficiency. 

Zinc is an essential mineral that our body can easily absorb. Therefore, if we do not get enough amount of zinc, we may have to take these dietary supplements as directed by the doctor. When choosing a zinc supplement, it’s important to consider the type of zinc, dosage, and supplement form.

Types of Zinc Supplements  

best zinc supplement

There are several types of zinc supplements. Supplements contain several forms of zinc, including zinc gluconate, zinc citrate and zinc picolinate. The percentage of elemental zinc varies by form. 

Chelated zinc is a general form of supplementary zinc in which the zinc is chelated — or bound — to a compound to make it easier for the body to absorb. Zinc picolinate or zinc gluconate are formed when zinc is chelated to picolinic acid or gluconic acid, so the main difference between zinc gluconate and picolinate is what compound it is bound to.

Different forms of zinc contain different amounts of elemental zinc, which refers to the weight of the zinc molecule by itself (Note: Most product labels tend to mark the elemental weight):
  • Zinc citrate is approximately 34% zinc by weight. For a dose of 50mg elemental zinc, take 146 mg zinc citrate. (Examine) Meaning, 146 mg of zinc citrate is equivalent to 50 mg of elemental zinc.
  • Zinc sulfate consists 23% of elemental zinc; thus, 220 mg of zinc sulfate contains 50 mg of elemental zinc (NIH).
  • Zinc gluconate is approximately 13% zinc by weight. For a dose of 50mg elemental zinc, take 385 mg zinc gluconate. (Examine)
  • Zinc monomethionine is approximately 21% zinc by weight. For a dose of 50mg elemental zinc, take 238 mg zinc monomethionine. (Examine)
  • Zinc picolinate (20% of elemental zinc) (Metabolics) 
  • Zinc ascorbate (15%) (Metabolics) 
  • Zinc chloride (48%) (Metabolics) 
  • Zinc carbonate (52%) (Metabolics) 
  • Zinc bisglycinate (25%) (Metabolics) 
  • Zinc oxide (80%) (FamilyPractice). Although the percentage of elemental zinc is high, do take note that zinc oxide is one of the least bioavailable form.
  • Zinc carnosine: The typical clinical oral dose is 150 mg/day, containing 34 mg zinc and 116 mg L-carnosine.
  • Zinc aspartate is approximately 20% zinc by weight. For a dose of 10 mg elemental zinc, you need 50 mg of zinc aspartate.
  • Zinc methionine is approximately 23% elemental zinc by weight. 

What is Zinc Gluconate?

This is the most common over-the-counter zinc supplement that’s found in your local drug or health food store. It’s made with gluconic acid is often found in oral supplements, nasal zinc sprays or lozenges. A meta-analysis indicates that zinc gluconate lozenges were able to reduce cold duration 28 percent.

Zinc gluconate is the zinc salt of gluconic acid. We can find gluconic acid in natural sources, but for the preparation of the supplement, industries produce gluconic acid via the fermentation of glucose by Aspergillus niger or some species of fungi.

More importantly, this compound is used to treat a common cold. We can use it in lozenges to treat the cold symptoms. When considering the side effects of this compound, anosmia (loss of smell) is a reported side effect. However, this compound is relatively safe than other zinc supplements.

What is Zinc Picolinate?

This chelated form of zinc salt is made with picolinic acid and is popular for oral use to reverse zinc deficiency. One study comparing the absorption of zinc picolinate, zinc citrate and zinc gluconate shows that there’s no significant change in any of these forms, but zinc picolinate did improve zinc absorption in humans.

What is Zinc Citrate?

This type of zinc is made with citric acid. A study found that when given as a supplement without food, zinc citrate absorption was comparable with that of zinc gluconate, and higher than zinc oxide.

Zinc citrate is the zinc salt of citric acid. This compound is well-known as a dietary supplement that is useful in preventing zinc deficiency. Typically, we take this orally as a capsule or as a tablet.

However, due to the presence of zinc, this may have a metallic taste. However, taking a small amount of beverage after taking the tablet can avoid this unusual taste. Moreover, this treatment may irritate the digestive tract, resulting in an upset stomach. Another important side effect is, we may get flu-like symptoms including fever, sore throat, chills, etc.

Zinc citrate is the form that's most commonly used in dental hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash to fight plaque and gingivitis.

What is Zinc Acetate?

Zinc Acetate is made from zinc nitrate and acetic anhydride. Zinc acetate is another chemically-altered form of zinc and considered to be more absorbable than gluconate. This form may aid in reducing the duration of the common cold (JRSM Open. 2017), as well as offer relief for Wilson's disease, a genetic disorder whereby the body stores toxic levels of copper.

Zinc acetate is the best zinc supplement to treat the ​common cold and best for your immune system​. Findings of a study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases in 2017 recommended using acetate lozenges within 24 hours of the onset of a cold for a three-fold increase in the rate of recovery.

Zinc acetate is a form most often used to shorten the duration of the common cold, and typically comes in a lozenge. Zinc acetate is also called zinc salt dihydrate or zinc diacetate. Capsule form of zinc acetate is available by prescription only to treat Wilson’s disease.

What is Zinc Carnosine?

Zinc Carnosine is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. A prescription medicine in Japan used to heal ulcers at 75 mg twice daily, this type of zinc is said to be helpful for leaky gut and healing stomach issues. It has a reputation for being better than antibiotics at healing h. pylori, the bacteria said to be responsible for stomach ulcers.

Zinc carnosine (also known as polaprezinc; Promac; L-CAZ, or taken as a self-named supplement) is a common form of zinc supplementation and medication.

A prospective randomized clinical trial published in 2017 showed that when antibiotic treatment for H. pylori infection was combined with zinc carnosine - the eradication rate was improved without added toxicity (Ref). A smaller trial published in 1999 reflected similar findings (Ref).

Zinc carnosine can be an amazing piece of any gut repair program & it was fun to learn that it does much more too.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are groups of proteins that are involved in the body’s ability to respond to inflammation, immune challenges, and stress. Genes that code for HSPs are highly regarded as “longevity” genes - the more active, the better.

While Zinc may indirectly help HSP expression through the promotion of mucosal health (a healthy home for flora to bind and grow), zinc carnosine is also an antioxidant and may support HSP expression directly.

Zinc nor L-carnosine have not been shown to support HSP expression by themselves, but the combined chelate form of zinc carnosine does support HSP activity for reasons that are still unclear.

Zinc Citrate vs Zinc Picolinate vs Zinc Gluconate: What's the Difference?

According to the Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital, a person supplementing with zinc will find their best options in the form of zinc citrate, zinc acetate and zinc picolinate because these absorb the best. Zinc gluconate is not among the top three, but it is absorbed better than zinc oxide. 

As far as cost goes, zinc sulfate is the lowest-cost option among the supplements.

Zinc Gluconate vs Zinc Picolinate 

Zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate are zinc salts. One key difference between zinc picolinate and zinc gluconate is that zinc picolinate is derived from picolinic acid, whereas zinc gluconate is derived from gluconic acid. Zinc picolinate is 20% elemental zinc whereas zinc gluconate has 13% of elemental zinc.

Another difference between zinc gluconate and picolinate is that zinc gluconate, along with zinc acetate, has antiviral properties. This makes it a good form for making lozenges and nasal gels that don't contribute to the amount of iron digested and absorbed by the body, but it can fight viruses infecting the nose and throat.

Forms of Zinc Supplements

The Mayo Clinic explains that zinc-based lozenges and syrups can be effective if they are used within the first 24 hours of the sign of symptoms. However, be careful — use of intranasal zinc has been linked with the loss of smell.

Although different forms of zinc have different amounts of elemental zinc that can be used by the body, the National Institutes of Health explains that there is not enough research indicating whether there are any superior forms in terms of absorption, bioavailability or tolerability.

Zinc Citrate vs Zinc Picolinate vs Zinc Gluconate: Study

One older study — published in the June 1987 issue of Agents Actions — did look at the effectiveness of three forms of zinc supplement and may shed a little bit of light on choosing zinc glycinate versus picolinate. The study looked at only 15 healthy human subjects who were divided into four groups. Over the course of four weeks, the four groups were tested with zinc picolinate, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate or a placebo.

Based on the zinc measurements in their hair, urine, erythrocyte and serum both before and after, zinc picolinate was the only form to raise zinc levels, at least in the hair, urine and erythrocyte. 

According to Chris Masterjohn: 

I don’t recommend using zinc oxide or zinc picolinate. People are often surprised that I recommend against picolinate. So, in this episode (below), I explain why.



What is Chelated Zinc?

Chelated zinc is a zinc supplement that’s easily absorbed by your body.

Because it’s difficult for your body to efficiently absorb zinc on its own, zinc is often attached to a chelating agent in supplements. A chelating agent is a substance that bonds with zinc to create a more absorbable end product.

Types of Chelated Zinc

Chelated zinc is mainly made using one of the following compounds: amino acids or organic acids.

Amino acids
  • aspartic acid: used to make zinc aspartate
  • methionine: used to make zinc methionine
  • monomethionine: used to make zinc monomethionine
Organic acids
  • acetic acid: used to make zinc acetate
  • citric acid: used to make zinc citrate
  • gluconic acid: used to make zinc gluconate
  • orotic acid: used to make zinc orotate
  • picolinic acid: used to make zinc picolinate
Zinc supplements combining zinc with inorganic acids such as sulfates (zinc sulfate) and oxides (zinc oxide) are also available.

Note: Many supplements use zinc sulfate. However, zinc sulfate​ is an inorganic form of zinc. Inorganic zinc is not as effective or useable by your body as chelated zinc sources. The best form of zinc is one that's chelated to ensure absorbability. Zinc gluconate​ and zinc glycinate are some of the popular chelated forms of over-the-counter supplements. 

Best Zinc Supplements: Online Shopping Guide

Before adding a new supplement to your routine, discuss its use with your healthcare provider, especially if you have an underlying health condition or are taking medication.

While many of the zinc supplements may be available in your local stores, it may be more convenient or affordable to shop for them online on Amazon (US):

1. Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Zinc - Best Vegan Option

2. Nature's Bounty Zinc 50 mg Caplets - Best Chelated Zinc and Best Seller

3. Nature's Bounty Immune 24 Hour +  - Best Zinc Supplement for Seniors

4. WonderLabs Zinc Lozenges with Vitamin C  - Best Zinc for respiratory viral infections

5. Dr Zelenko's Z Stack Supplement - Best zinc supplement with quercetin, vitamin D and C

Key Practical Takeaway

If you think a zinc supplement is right for you, talk to your doctor about which form you should take. This is especially important because zinc can interfere with your body's absorption of copper and iron, so you might need to supplement those minerals as well.


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