Taking zinc supplements every day for the long haul can lead to some serious risks for your health.
1. You Might End Up with a Copper Deficiency
Too much zinc stops your body from taking in copper—a mineral necessary for making energy, breaking down iron, and forming connective tissue.
Low copper levels (copper deficiency) can cause all kinds of health issues, like high cholesterol, coordination problems, osteoporosis, and more.
Copper deficiency can happen if you use oral zinc supplements, zinc skin products (like acne or wound care items), or denture creams with zinc every day for more than a few weeks.
2. You Could Have a Low Blood Cell Count
Taking zinc for several months straight can cause low red blood cell count (anemia) or low white blood cell count (leukopenia).
Blood cell counts can drop sharply because long-term zinc use wipes out copper in your blood.
If you’re diagnosed with anemia or leukopenia while taking zinc supplements, stop taking zinc right away. Your healthcare provider might recommend copper to help fix the blood abnormalities from too much zinc.
3. You Might Wind Up with a Weakened Immune System
Zinc plays a key role in managing your body’s immune system.
Having too much or too little zinc can lower your immune response and make you more likely to get sick.
High doses of zinc weaken immunity by messing with special immune cells (lymphocytes and interferon gamma) that help your body fight off infections.
4. Your Cholesterol Levels Could Shift
Long-term zinc supplementation might affect your cholesterol levels.
Taking 50 milligrams of zinc orally or applying it to your skin every day for several weeks may lower “good” cholesterol (HDL), which could be bad for your heart health.
On the flip side, taking lower doses of zinc long-term might reduce “bad” cholesterol (LDL), potentially cutting your risk of heart disease.
5. You Might Get Neurological Disorders
Low copper levels from too much zinc can damage your brain or spinal cord.
Long-term zinc use is linked to neurological disorders like spinal cord injury (myelopathy), nerve pain (neuropathy), and vision problems (optic neuropathy).
Unlike blood disorders, neurological issues from long-term zinc overuse usually aren’t reversible—meaning they don’t go away completely even if you stop taking zinc.
6. You Could Have Gastrointestinal Issues
Taking zinc for more than six weeks can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
High doses might also lead to pancreatitis.
Inhaling rat poisons with zinc can cause liver failure or even death.
7. Your Risk of Prostate Cancer Could Go Up
Men who take more than 75 milligrams (mg) of elemental zinc every day may have a higher risk of prostate cancer.
