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Zinc Requirement Calculator

See exactly how much zinc you need each day.

Result

8 mg
40 mg
0.11

How it is calculated

Two fixed values come from age in years and sex. The RDA in mg per day: under 7 months 2 (an adequate-intake figure); 7 to 11 months 3; ages 1 to 3: 3; ages 4 to 8: 5; ages 9 to 13: 8; ages 14 to 18: 9 for females and 11 for males; age 19 and over: 8 for females and 11 for males. The upper limit depends on age only: 4 mg and 5 mg for the two infant bands, 7 mg for ages 1 to 3, 12 mg for 4 to 8, 23 mg for 9 to 13, 34 mg for 14 to 18 and 40 mg for adults. Age is in years, so an infant is a decimal such as 0.3. Ages of 0 or below, or above 120, give no result. Any sex value other than female, including empty, is treated as male. The third figure is RDA ÷ 74, the RDA as a number of servings of oysters, taking a 3 oz (85 g) serving as 74 mg of zinc. It is a rough comparison, shown with two significant figures (0.11, 0.15, or 0.027 for a small infant), with no x or unit; the card label says what it counts. Pregnancy and breastfeeding, when needs are higher, are not included.

Worked example

A 30-year-old woman. Age 30 is 19 or over and the sex is female, so the RDA is 8 mg a day. Her upper limit is 40 mg, the adult value that does not depend on sex. The oyster comparison is 8 ÷ 74 = 0.108 servings of oysters, shown as 0.11 (a man's 11 mg gives 0.149, shown as 0.15). A man of the same age would see an RDA of 11 mg and the same 40 mg limit, so for adults only the RDA differs between the sexes.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Leaving sex empty as a woman. The tool treats it as male, which shows 11 mg instead of 8 mg.
  • Treating the upper limit as the amount to aim for. It is the most you should take in a day from supplements and food together, and long-term excess can lead to problems such as copper deficiency.
  • Applying the adult figures during pregnancy or breastfeeding. The tool branches on age and sex only, so it will understate those needs.
  • Entering a baby's age in months as if it were years. Age is in years, so 6 months is 0.5 (which gives 2 mg), whereas typing 6 gives the figures for a six-year-old.
  • Comparing a milligram figure with a supplement labelled in mg of zinc compound. The tool's numbers are elemental zinc, so check the label for the elemental amount.

Sources

About this calculator

This calculator returns the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for zinc based on age and sex, using the reference values set by nutrition authorities such as the US National Academies of Sciences (Institute of Medicine) — typically 11 mg/day for adult men and 8 mg/day for adult women, with higher amounts recommended during pregnancy and lactation (not covered here — this calculator branches on age and sex only, so the figures shown exclude pregnancy and lactation), and an upper limit of 40 mg/day for most adults above which the risk of adverse effects (including copper deficiency from long-term excess zinc intake) increases.

Zinc is an essential trace mineral required for immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and taste/smell perception, and dietitians and clinicians reference these RDA and UL figures when evaluating a diet for adequacy or when advising on supplementation, since zinc deficiency (more common in vegetarians, due to phytates in plant foods binding zinc and reducing absorption, and in older adults) and zinc excess (usually from over-supplementation) both carry distinct health risks.

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