Turmeric and Zinc: A Beneficial Supplement Pair?

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To make my journey in life and the gym as amazing as possible, I’m constantly searching for natural supplements to enhance my quality of life.

One thing I’ve been struggling with is pain/ inflammation from my gym sessions.

This holds back my progression and is overall very annoying to deal with.

Besides this, I’ve been looking into what my body needs to have a healthy metabolism and allow for protein synthesis to occur (these are needed to build muscle/ lose fat).

My journey has led me to Turmeric and Zinc, but this got me wondering. Should you take Turmeric and Zinc together? I’ve decided to give it a try.

This article is written based on my own experience and the currently known research around both supplements.

In this article, I’m going to give you everything you need to know about Turmeric and Zinc.

In the practical information, I’ll discuss what the compound is, how it works, if it’s safe (who should avoid it), the (possible) benefits, and (possible) side effects.

Practical information about Turmeric

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric is a spice (the yellow one) and medicinal herb that originates from the root of the Curcuma Longa.

In India, it’s been used for thousands of years.

Turmeric contains an active ingredient called curcuminoids, with curcumin being the primary bioactive ingredient.

It has an anti-inflammatory effect and is therefore used as a herbal supplement.

But the benefits reach further than just anti-inflammation.

How does Turmeric work?

Turmeric (mainly curcumin) is an antioxidant that helps to protect the body from free radicals. It does this by neutralizing them.

However turmeric as a spice does not contain enough curcumin to get the benefits, so for this reason people take it as a concentrated supplement.

The best turmeric supplements contain high levels of curcumin and are combined with piperine (black pepper) because this increases the absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000 %.

If you want to further boost the absorption, you can take turmeric/ curcumin with a high-fat meal or fish oil (omega 3) supplement.

Is Turmeric safe and who should avoid it?

Turmeric is generally considered safe for healthy people, even in higher dosages.

However, the people that fit into the category below can best avoid supplementing Turmeric:

• Iron deficiency
• Hormone-sensitive conditions
• Gallbladder problems
• Bleeding disorders
• Infertility
• Liver disease
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Arrhythmia
• Pregnant women
• Undergoing surgery

What are the benefits of Turmeric?

Turmeric/ Curcumin can help with:

• Reducing inflammation
• Lowering/ eliminating (chronic) pain
• Improving memory and focus
• A better mood

What are the side effects of Turmeric?

The possible side effects of Turmeric/ Curcumin if taken in (very) high dosages are:

• An upset stomach
• Diarrhea
• Nausea

Practical information about Zinc

What is Zinc?

Zinc is a very important mineral that is necessary for over 300 enzyme reactions in our bodies.

It’s an essential nutrient that our bodies can’t produce or store, so we have to get in zinc daily.

We only need a fairly small amount of Zinc for our bodies to function properly.

Zinc can be widely found in all kinds of food or as a dietary supplement.

How does Zinc work?

Zinc is used in our bodies on the cellular level to create DNA and plays a role in the growth of cells.

Besides that, it’s needed for healing damaged tissue in our bodies, and it’s used to create protein molecules during a process called protein synthesis.

Zinc is also needed for a well-functioning immune system.

Is Zinc safe and who should avoid it?

Zinc is generally recognized as safe up to 40 mg a day, but this does not include people with a deficiency who might need more.

The recommended dosage for a healthy adult is 8 mg for women 11 mg for men, and 11-12 mg for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

People that take certain medications or antibiotics should avoid, or especially consult with a doctor before supplementing Zinc.

What are the benefits of Zinc?

Benefits will be most noticeable if you currently have a deficiency. Zinc can help with:

• A healthy immune system
• Protein synthesis
• A properly working metabolism
• Skin health
• DNA synthesis
• Being able to smell and taste
• Overall health

What are the side effects of Zinc?

The possible side effects of too much Zinc are:

• Nausea
• Stomach upset
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• In very high dosages: fatigue, fever, and coughing could occur

Is it safe to take Turmeric and Zinc together?

Yes, if you follow the recommended dosages then taking Turmeric and Zinc together is safe.

Turmeric, or the active ingredient Curcumin, is considered safe even in very high amounts.

Research with up to 8g of Curcumin has been done and found as safe, so there’s no real worry for healthy adults of getting in too much Turmeric.

Zinc is considered safe for healthy adults in dosages of up to 40 mg daily. However, for people with a deficiency higher dosages might be appropriate.

If you suspect this is you, then it’s best to consult a medical advisor and follow their recommendation.

What dosage of Turmeric and Zinc should you take?

Turmeric

The recommended dose of Curcumin (the active ingredient in Turmeric) is 500-1,000 mg for most healthy adults.

People that work out often may benefit from a higher amount of Turmeric/ Curcumin because it can have a lot of benefits.

It’s best to take Turmeric together with Piperine (black pepper) because this can increase the absorption by up to 2,000 %.

A perfect supplement for this is the Curcumin with Piperine from Nootropics Depot, this supplement combines both and has a lot of Curcumin (normal pure Turmeric has only 3%).

This will maximize the anti-inflammatory benefits.

For maximal absorption, it’s good to take Turmeric with high-fat foods or Fish Oil, such as the Fish Oil supplement from Nootropics Depot.

Zinc

The recommended daily dose of Zinc is 11 mg for men, and 8 mg for women.

However, pregnant women may benefit from 11-12 mg of zinc daily.

A high-quality Zinc supplement that is lab-tasted and optimized for increased absorption, is the MicroZinc from Nootropics Depot.

Who should avoid taking Turmeric and Zinc?

The people that fit into the following categories should certainly avoid taking Turmeric and Zinc together:

• People with liver disease/ Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• People that take certain antibiotics/ medication (consult with your doctor first)
• People with an iron deficiency
• People with hormone-sensitive conditions
• People with Gallbladder problems
• People with Bleeding disorders
• Infertile People
• People with Arrhythmia
• People Undergoing surgery
• Pregnant women

Possible benefits of taking Turmeric and Zinc together?

By taking Turmeric and Zinc together, you could get the following benefits:

• Reducing inflammation
• Lowering/ eliminating (chronic) pain
• Improving memory and focus
• A better mood
• A healthy immune system
• Improved Protein synthesis
• A healthy metabolism
• Better Skin health
• Improved DNA synthesis

Possible side effects of taking Turmeric and Zinc together?

Based on current knowledge about Turmeric and Zinc, the following side effects might occur:

• Nausea
• Stomach upset/ abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• By taking very high dosages of zinc: fatigue, fever, and coughing could occur

When is the best time to take Turmeric and Zinc?

The best time to take Turmeric is with breakfast in the morning or with your last meal at night.

Taking it with a (high-fat) meal will increase the absorption of Turmeric and reduce the potential side effects.

Zinc can be taken at any time of the day. It works best on an empty stomach, but this increases the chance of stomach upset.

You can take it together with a meal or right after if this is the case.

Do I recommend taking Turmeric and Zinc together?

Zinc is essential for the well-functioning of our bodies because it’s present nearly everywhere inside of us.

Our bodies can’t store it, so we need to consume it daily through our diet.

Zinc supplementation might not be necessary for most people, granted that they get in enough zinc from food.

Especially if you’re deficient in Zinc, supplementation will benefit you tremendously.

Turmeric has been fantastic for me because it made a huge impact by reducing pain and my constant inflammation nearly went away.

I’ve tried multiple kinds and the Curcumin with Piperine combination works best for me.

I supplement with Zinc regularly (I like to push the limit on Minerals and Vitamins sometimes), and supplement with Turmeric/ Curcumin daily without exception.

If you’re interested in the benefits and don’t fall into a category that should avoid these supplements, then I can recommend giving Curcumin by itself a try or both together.

I take the Curcumin with Piperine from Nootropics Depot, it’s made for maximal results and improved absorption.

I take 1-2 pills daily of Curcumin together with their Fish Oil to further boost the absorption. You can check out the Turmeric/ Curcumin by clicking here, or the Fish Oil by clicking here.

When I take Zinc, I supplement with MicroZinc from Nootropics Depot, because it’s optimized for increased absorption. You can check it out by clicking here.