The word zinc may conjure images of cold remedies and sunblock. But dietary zinc, found in a variety of foods including seafood, meat, and fortified breakfast cereal, is an important nutrient that plays a vital role in many of the body’s functions. [1] While it is not often discussed, it is quietly doing important work behind the scenes.
What Is Zinc?
Zinc is a trace mineral that is essential for the proper functioning of the human body. “Since we cannot produce zinc as an element, we have to eat it,” says Teresa Fung, a registered dietitian and adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.  Foods including beef, shrimp, and pumpkin seeds contain high levels of the nutrient.
“Since we cannot produce zinc as an element, we have to eat it.”
Daily Benefits
Zinc is vital for normal immune system function and wound healing. In addition, the body needs zinc for bone growth, the production of hormones such as insulin and testosterone, sperm production, and fetal development. Your body also needs zinc in order to smell and taste. It plays an essential role in cell growth and development. [2]
Daily Requirements
Most people can consume enough zinc through a balanced and varied diet. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for zinc is 11 milligrams (mg) per day for adult men and 8 mg per day for adult women.  Zinc needs increase slightly during pregnancy to support a baby’s growth and development. Pregnant women need 11 mg per day, and breastfeeding women need 12 mg per day.
Most people can consume enough zinc through a balanced and varied diet.
While zinc deficiency is rare in the U.S., symptoms include slow wound healing, poor oral health, loss of taste and smell, poor immune response, and delayed growth in children. Good nutrition is about building a pattern of nourishing choices over time. Zinc may not always be top of mind, but it starts with simple, everyday choices, one meal at a time.
Notes:
- ^Fung, T. (2026). Zinc: What it does for the body and the best food sources – Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-nutrition/zinc-what-it-does-for-the-body-and-the-best-food-sources (go back ↩)
- ^Dole Nutrition Institute. (2026). Small Nutrient, Big Impact: Why Zinc Matters During Pregnancy – Dole. Dole Packaged Foods. Retrieved from https://www.dole.com/blog/small-nutrient-big-impact (go back ↩)
