Vitamin C vs Zinc for immunity
Short answer: For immunity, users rate them about the same: 88% report improvement with Vitamin C (25 reports) and 86% with Zinc (28 reports).
Vitamin C has 738 meta-analyses and 2,072 randomized trials on PubMed; Zinc has 220 and 555.
Based on 715 reports about Vitamin C and 1,264 about Zinc. Not medical advice.
| Vitamin C Supplement | Zinc Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 44 | 42 |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 68% | 61% |
| Reports | 715 | 1,264 |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 738 / 2,072 | 220 / 555 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Weight loss % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 100% (3) |
| Appetite % reporting improvement | — | 33% (3) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 67% (9) | 62% (26) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 100% (27) | 71% (51) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 71% (14) | 82% (68) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 92% (13) | 73% (30) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 86% (21) | 80% (61) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 80% (5) | 20% (5) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 25% (4) | 90% (20) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 100% (8) | 86% (7) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 79% (14) | 56% (9) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | 75% (4) | 0% (2) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 88% (95) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | 100% (4) | 89% (63) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 75% (4) | 50% (2) |
| Skin & hair % reporting improvement | 96% (24) | 81% (32) |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | 88% (25) | 86% (28) |
| Longevity % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | — |
| Common side effects | stomach issues, kidney stones, insomnia, bone pain | nausea, fatigue, stomach issues, copper depletion |
| Typical dose reported | 2000 mg / daily | daily |
The failure of vitamin C supplementation to reduce the incidence of colds in the general population indicates that routine vitamin C supplementation is not justified, yet vitamin C may be useful for people exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise. Regular supplementation trials have shown that vitamin C reduces the duration of colds, but this was not replicated in the few therapeutic trials that have been carried out. Nevertheless, given the consistent effect of vitamin C on the duration and severity of colds in the regular supplementation studies, and the low cost and safety, it m
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2013 ↗“I know people say you get enough vitamin C from diet but I feel and look better when I supplement it.”
Acne patients have decreased serum zinc levels. Zinc is effective for the treatment of acne, particularly at decreasing the number of inflammatory papules, when used as monotherapy or as an adjunctive treatment.
Dermatol Ther, 2020 ↗“I had actual energy in the mornings for the first time I could remember.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate