That zincing feeling

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Oct, 2003

Some supplement labels claim that zinc is good for the prostate. But in a study that tracked roughly 47,000 male health professionals, those who took at least 25 milligrams of zinc a day--from a multivitamin or zinc supplement--had roughly twice the risk of advanced prostate cancer compared to those who took less. Men who took at least 100 mg a day had roughly three times the risk.

There was no connection between prostate cancer and how much zinc the men were getting from their food.

What to do: It's too early to know if zinc promotes prostate cancer. To play it safe, don't take zinc at levels higher than the Daily Value (15 mg). Taking more than 40 mg--that's the Upper Tolerable Intake Level--may lower HDL ("good") cholesterol and impair the immune system.

J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 95: 1004, 2003.