What is recommended level zinc per day?

Answer 1

Recommended daily intake (RDI) for Zinc (chemical symbol: Zn) ranges from 2 mg for infants up to six (6) months old, to 15 mg and above for adults --- and is dependent on age (infancy, pre-teen, teenage, and adult), gender, body weight, consideration of daily calorie intake, pregnancy and breastfeeding status, and on other factors such as considerations for prescribed medications which might contradict the effect of minerals and other nutrients.

Other considerations include behavioral factors such absence or presence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs (for example, Alcoholism may interfere with absorption of certain minerals and vitamins), and medical factors such as the presence of genetic conditions, chronic disease, gastro-intestinal conditions, or post-surgical conditions which prevent or reduce Zn absorption.

The WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF are advocates of use of zinc supplements for control and prevention of fatal infantile and child diarrhea in developing countries with chronic or critical malnutrition problems. In developed countries, general opinion is that there are sufficient amounts of Zn already present in most foods, so there is little risk of deficiency. There is, however, some risk of excessive intake, particularly where Zn is already abundant in soil and drinking water.

Good sources of information include food and nutrition databases, environmental science, and medical references which provide detail on precautions that might be required or implicated.