Zinc

What it is · too little · too much · daily reference values by country

For reference only. This is not a diagnosis or a prescription. If you have concerns, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

What it is

Zinc is a component of zinc-dependent enzymes, where it acts as a catalyst, and it helps keep the structure of proteins stable. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Zinc is an important part of the structure of certain proteins and serves as a catalyst for many enzymes. (European Food Safety Authority)

Getting too little

Symptoms reported to occur with zinc deficiency include growth delay, diarrhea, inflammation, loss of appetite, hair loss, reduced immune function, and nerve disorders. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
No specific deficiency syndrome has been described for humans. (European Food Safety Authority)

Getting too much

Harmful effects are rarely seen with ordinary food intake, but side effects such as lower copper absorption, reduced immune function, lower blood HDL cholesterol, and lower red blood cell enzyme activity have been reported when zinc-fortified foods or supplements are taken in large amounts over a long time. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)

Daily reference values by country

Korea · US · EU — tap to open

These tables are daily reference values for healthy people. Numbers in the text above are a different kind of value, and you cannot diagnose yourself from them. How to read RDA, AI and UL

Korea — 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (Ministry of Health and Welfare)

Group	EAR	RNI	AI	UL
6–11 months	2 mg	3 mg
0–5 months			2 mg
1–2 years	2 mg	3 mg		Checking
3–5 years	3 mg	4 mg		Checking
Male · 6–8 years	4 mg	5 mg		Checking
Male · 9–11 years	7 mg	8 mg		Checking
Male · 12–14 years	7 mg	8 mg		Checking
Male · 15–18 years	8 mg	10 mg		Checking
Male · 19–29 years	9 mg	10 mg		Checking
Male · 30–49 years	8 mg	10 mg		Checking
Male · 50–64 years	8 mg	10 mg		Checking
Male · 65–74 years	8 mg	9 mg		Checking
Male · 75+ years	7 mg	9 mg		Checking
Female · 6–8 years	4 mg	5 mg		Checking
Female · 9–11 years	7 mg	8 mg		Checking
Female · 12–14 years	7 mg	8 mg		Checking
Female · 15–18 years	7 mg	9 mg		Checking
Female · 19–29 years	7 mg	8 mg		Checking
Female · 30–49 years	7 mg	8 mg		Checking
Female · 50–64 years	6 mg	8 mg		Checking
Female · 65–74 years	6 mg	7 mg		Checking
Female · 75+ years	6 mg	7 mg		Checking
Pregnancy	+2 mg	+2.5 mg		Checking
Lactation	+4 mg	+5 mg		Checking

US — NASEM (National Academies)

Group	EAR	RDA	AI	UL
7–12 months	2.5 mg	3 mg		5 mg
1–3 years	2.5 mg	3 mg		7 mg
4–8 years	4 mg	5 mg		12 mg
Male · 9–13 years	7 mg	8 mg		23 mg
Male · 14–18 years	8.5 mg	11 mg		34 mg
Male · 19–30 years	9.4 mg	11 mg		40 mg
Male · 31–50 years	9.4 mg	11 mg		40 mg
Male · 51–70 years	9.4 mg	11 mg		40 mg
Male · 71+ years	9.4 mg	11 mg		40 mg
Female · 9–13 years	7 mg	8 mg		23 mg
Female · 14–18 years	7.3 mg	9 mg		34 mg
Female · 19–30 years	6.8 mg	8 mg		40 mg
Female · 31–50 years	6.8 mg	8 mg		40 mg
Female · 51–70 years	6.8 mg	8 mg		40 mg
Female · 71+ years	6.8 mg	8 mg		40 mg
Pregnancy · 14–18 years	10.5 mg	12 mg		34 mg
Pregnancy · 19–30 years	9.5 mg	11 mg		40 mg
Pregnancy · 31–50 years	9.5 mg	11 mg		40 mg
Lactation · 14–18 years	10.9 mg	13 mg		34 mg
Lactation · 19–30 years	10.4 mg	12 mg		40 mg
Lactation · 31–50 years	10.4 mg	12 mg		40 mg
0–6 months			2 mg	4 mg

UL — applies to: Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water, and supplements.

EU — EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)

Group	AR	PRI	UL
7–11 months	2.4 mg	2.9 mg
1–3 years	3.6 mg	4.3 mg	7 mg
4–6 years	4.6 mg	5.5 mg	10 mg
7–10 years	6.2 mg	7.4 mg	13 mg
11–14 years	8.9 mg	10.7 mg	18 mg
Male · 15–17 years	11.8 mg	14.2 mg
Female · 15–17 years	9.9 mg	11.9 mg
Male · 18+ years	7.5 mg / 9.3 mg / 11 mg / 12.7 mg	9.4 mg / 11.7 mg / 14 mg / 16.3 mg
Female · 18+ years	6.2 mg / 7.6 mg / 8.9 mg / 10.2 mg	7.5 mg / 9.3 mg / 11 mg / 12.7 mg
Pregnancy · 18–60 years	—	—
Lactation · 18–60 years	—	—
18+ years			25 mg
Pregnancy · 18+ years			25 mg
Lactation · 18+ years			25 mg
15–17 years			22 mg

When a cell has several values, the source sets them separately by condition (for example, the amount of another dietary component). See the source below for details.

UL — applies to: Total chronic daily intake from all dietary sources.

Sources

EFSA DRV Finder (Dietary Reference Values) · checked 2026-10-07
EFSA DRV Finder — nutrient descriptions · checked 2026-10-07
EFSA Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (v11, August 2025) · checked 2026-10-07
2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans, Vol. 3: Minerals (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans — summary tables (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (Appendix J, 2019) · checked 2026-10-07

The sentences are plain-language summaries of official sources written by SuppleBoard. Each English sentence was checked against the source text by an AI reviewer before publishing. The agencies do not endorse this site. Published 2026-10-17.

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