Can You Take Zinc With Vitamin D?

Quick answer

NIH's fact sheets name no effect of zinc on vitamin D or of vitamin D on zinc; the supplement known to cut zinc absorption is iron at 25 mg or more. Adults should keep zinc under 40 mg a day and vitamin D under 100 mcg (4,000 IU), both counting food.^1,2,3

Key facts

Adults need 8 to 11 mg of zinc and 15 to 20 mcg (600 to 800 IU) of vitamin D a day.^2,3
Supplements with 25 mg of iron or more can reduce zinc absorption when taken at the same time.¹
Taking 50 mg of zinc a day or more for weeks can lower the body's copper.¹
Thiazide water pills raise the zinc lost in urine, and with vitamin D they might push blood calcium too high.^2,3

What the sources say about the pair

NIH's fact sheets on zinc and on vitamin D do not mention each other, and we found no trial in healthy people that tested how one affects the other. NIH does list both, with vitamins A, C and E and selenium, among the nutrients the immune system needs in adequate amounts.^1,4,5

The body handles them in different ways. It keeps zinc steady by adjusting how much it absorbs and how much it releases back into the gut. Vitamin D is fat soluble and is absorbed along with dietary fat, then stored.^1,4

As zinc intake rises, the total amount absorbed goes up, but the share absorbed from each dose falls.¹

Taking a supplement with 25 mg of iron or more at the same time as zinc can reduce zinc absorption. The iron added to fortified foods does not have this effect.^1,6

So the supplement to space from zinc is high-dose iron, and very high zinc can in turn get in the way of copper and magnesium. Vitamin D is not on either list.¹

What each one does

These statements are quoted from our ingredient pages with their grades. They are about having enough of each nutrient, not about taking more.

Contributes to the normal function of the immune system*^1,5,7

Moderate evidence

A well-established nutrient function. NIH describes zinc as needed for lymphocytes, the immune cells that respond to specific germs, to form, mature and become active, and for the activity of other immune cells. EU regulators permit this wording for foods that are at least a source of zinc. It is about getting enough: NIH notes that when people are not short of a nutrient, routine supplements probably add little.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women, from food and supplements

Contributes to normal immune function*^4,8,9

Moderate evidence

NIH lists immune function among vitamin D's roles, and 'contributes to the normal function of the immune system' is a permitted nutrient-function statement in the EU. Whether supplements help people get through the year with fewer respiratory illnesses is unsettled: the latest pooled analysis, covering 40 trials and 61,589 people, found a small effect that was not statistically significant.

Amount studied: The recommended daily intake from food, sun and supplements

Contributes to normal protein and DNA synthesis, and has a role in cell division*^1,2,7

Moderate evidence

A well-established nutrient function. NIH describes zinc as part of protein and DNA synthesis and of cell signaling and division, and as needed for normal growth during pregnancy, childhood and the teen years. EU regulators permit matching statements for foods that are at least a source of zinc.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women, from food and supplements

Best time to take zinc and vitamin D

NIH's zinc fact sheets give no advice on the time of day to take zinc.^1,2

Phytates in beans, whole grains and seeds bind zinc in the gut, so less zinc is absorbed from meals rich in them. Zinc is also absorbed less well from mixed meals than from meals of animal foods alone.¹

Vitamin D is absorbed best with a meal or snack that includes some fat. A meal built around meat, fish, eggs or dairy fits both: it brings fat for vitamin D, and zinc is taken up better from animal foods than from meals heavy in beans, whole grains and seeds.^1,3

If your vitamin D comes with K2, the same meal suits it, because vitamin K is also absorbed along with dietary fat. NIH's zinc fact sheets do not mention vitamin K.^1,10

Adding up the amounts

Zinc and vitamin D for adults, per day^1,2,3,4
Per day, adults	Zinc	Vitamin D
Recommended amount	11 mg for men, 8 mg for women	15 mcg (600 IU), or 20 mcg (800 IU) from age 71
Upper limit	40 mg	100 mcg (4,000 IU)
What the limit counts	Food, drinks, supplements and medicines	Food, drinks and supplements
Average from food in the US	About 13 mg for men, 9.2 mg for women	About 5.1 mcg for men, 4.2 mcg for women

What’s in ours

Men's Multi: Zinc, 15 mg per serving, from the label
Immune Support: Zinc, 11 mg per serving, from the label

What’s in ours

Vitamin D3: Vitamin D-3, 50 mcg (2,000 IU) per serving, from the label
Men's Multi: Vitamin D, 10 mcg per serving, from the label
Ashwagandha Complex: Vitamin D3, 20 mcg per serving, from the label
Immune Support: Vitamin D3, 40 mcg per serving, from the label

Two of our products contain both. Taken together, their zinc stays under the zinc limit. Vitamin D is the nutrient to count: one of them taken with our Vitamin D3 comes close to the vitamin D limit.

Our Vitamin D3 with our Immune Support

Vitamin D3 and Immune Support together provide 90 mcg of vitamin D a day. That is close to the 100 mcg upper limit for adults, which counts food as well. Most people do not need both.

Who should ask first

Your doctor may want to check on you

Thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone increase the zinc lost in urine, and taking them for a long time might lower the body's zinc.^1,2

Reported in studies

Thiazides act on vitamin D's side too. They reduce the calcium lost in urine, and with vitamin D raising calcium absorption, NIH says blood calcium might climb too high, especially in older adults and people with reduced kidney function.⁴

Taking 50 mg of zinc a day or more for weeks can block copper absorption and lower copper status, reduce immune function and lower HDL cholesterol.^1,2

Ask first if you take a quinolone or tetracycline antibiotic, or penicillamine. Zinc can lower how much of these is absorbed.²
Ask first if you take a statin, steroid tablets, orlistat or a bile acid sequestrant, which affect vitamin D.³
Ask first if you want more than 40 mg of zinc a day, or use a zinc denture cream every day.²
Ask first if you have high blood calcium, kidney disease or kidney stones, or are pregnant or nursing.

Questions people ask

Should zinc and vitamin D be taken at different times?

No source we read gives a reason to separate them. The timing advice that exists is for each one: some fat in the meal for vitamin D, and for zinc, avoiding supplements with 25 mg of iron or more at the same time.^1,3

Can you take zinc with vitamin D3 and K2?

Our sources describe no effect between zinc and either vitamin, and K2, like D3, is absorbed with fat. People taking warfarin should not start, stop or change a K2 supplement without their doctor.^1,10,11

See what we make

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See the Full Measure line Ashwagandha Complex Immune Support Men's Multi

Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.