Andrew Huberman on Zinc
9 episodes · 14 references · 2021–2025
- Huberman is a long-term, high-dose zinc user who considers it a core supplement alongside vitamin D and magnesium for hormonal health. - He discusses zinc's benefits for testosterone, cold recovery, tinnitus, and blood glucose, with specific dosing thresholds for each use case. - He has not discussed recommending against zinc or stopping it; no negative long-term concerns mentioned.
Consumption
- Huberman has supplemented with zinc for years as part of his core daily stack alongside magnesium and vitamin D. - He describes taking "very high levels of zinc" and plans to continue long-term. - He considers zinc a conventional, foundational supplement rather than an experimental one.
Benefits
- Zinc strongly impacts androgen binding protein and enzymatic functions in the testes, supporting testosterone and estrogen production in proper ratios. - Zinc supplementation led to 3x faster cold recovery rates compared to non-supplemented groups. - Zinc appears to lower blood glucose levels.
Best Practices
- For cold treatment, take 100mg+ of zinc; doses below 75mg are ineffective. - For testosterone/DHT increases, 120mg taken twice daily with meals shows significant results. - For tinnitus symptom reduction, 50mg per day exceeds typical intake but appears effective.
Cautions
- Never take zinc on an empty stomach — Huberman personally experienced significant nausea from 50mg without food. - Nausea from empty-stomach zinc can last several hours. - Always take zinc with full meals to avoid gastrointestinal distress.
“I personally have supplemented with zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D for years.”
The Science of How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen
“I take what most people would consider very high levels of zinc and I've been doing it for a long time and I'm going to continue to do it.”
How to Enhance Your Immune System | Dr. Roger Seheult
“Certain collections of nutrients are useful for promoting testosterone and estrogen production in their proper ratios. Those things are vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, et cetera.”
The Science of How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen
“Zinc in both animals... and in humans strongly impact the enzymatic functions in the testes including the function of androgen binding protein.”
How to Optimize Fertility in Males & Females
“Certain collections of nutrients are useful for promoting testosterone and estrogen production in their proper ratios, including zinc.”
How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen | Huberman Lab Essentials
“They experienced a three times faster recovery rate from that cold compared to people who were not taking the zinc.”
How to Prevent & Treat Colds & Flu
“Zinc supplementation at higher levels than are typical of most people's intakes, of 50 milligrams per day, do appear to be able to reduce subjective symptoms of tinnitus.”
The Science of Hearing, Balance & Accelerated Learning
“Zinc dosages that are pretty high of about 120 milligrams taken twice per day with meals can significantly increase testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.”
How to Optimize Fertility in Males & Females
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