zinc

[crillmom]

I wanted to add a zinc mag cal vitamin to my sons treatment along with the ritalin he takes. Is there an unsafe amount to give a 10 year old child? these pills have vitamin D 100 iu
calcium 500 mg
mag. 250 mg.
zinc 25 mg.
that is the amount in 2 pills. does this seem ok and safe? thanks in advance for all your help.

[catatonic]

NIH has a good basic overveiw of zinc and zinc supplement safety at:
www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements/zinc.html

It is possible to take too much zinc, as the NIH document warns:
"Zinc toxicity has been seen in both acute and chronic forms. Intakes of 150 to 450 mg of zinc per day have been associated with low copper status, altered iron function, reduced immune function, and reduced levels of high-density lipoproteins (the good cholesterol)."

For a 10-year-old child, the amount you are proposing to give him is at the Tolerable Upper Limit, which means it's safe but that's the most you ought to give him. (This assumes you've listed the figure for ELEMENTAL zinc, and not the weight of the zinc compound.)

The most common risk of too much zinc is copper deficiency -- in fact, zinc is given to reduce excessive copper levels. Many sources say that you can safely exceed the recommended upper limits and give up to 100mg daily as long as you are providing additional copper at the same time. You do this by giving 1mg of copper for each 15mg of zinc.

Are you using zinc for general health purposes, or because of new research reports that indicate it may be helpful with ADHD symptoms...reports like this one:
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-04/bc-zsc040604.php

This info comes from a study published in Journal of Biomedical Psychiatry last month. It examined use of zinc with ritalin and found that the two taken together were much more effective than ritalin alone. The dose used in this study was 55mg of zinc sulfate daily, which provided 15mg elemental zinc.

You can read the entire study -- free -- if you'd like. It's here:
www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/4/9

Keep in mind that depending on the type of zinc compound your supplement provides, the 25mg you list may provide as little as 4mg elemental zinc...or as much as 13mg.