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QUESTION: Can bodybuilders get too many minerals and overdose? I’ve never read anything about this, but it seems possible. I’m using 40 mg of zinc from my multi. I also take BIGTEST-100, 2 capsules, 2 times a day; this is another 60 mg of zinc. I’m stacking ZMA before bed for sleep, which has another 30 mg of zinc. In total I’m taking in 130 mg of zinc a day! Is this too much?

ANSWER: That’s a shit load of zinc dude! Don’t forget that zinc is also found in the food you’re eating. Zinc deficiency affects about two billion people worldwide and is associated with many diseases. In children, it causes delayed growth, poor sexual maturation, infection susceptibility, diarrhea and contributes to the death of roughly 800,000 children worldwide per year! But mineral toxicity is one of the most overlooked areas in sports nutrition. As bodybuilders, we live in a sport where it’s always “more is better” which is not the best logic when you want optimal nutrition. When you take in too little OR too much of any micro or macro mineral, performance is impaired. Long-term intakes of 130 mg of zinc (in your case) can cause copper and/or iron deficiency as these two minerals work in unison with zinc. Consumption of excess zinc can cause ataxia and can suppress the immune system hindering growth and recovery. Additional side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a reduction in HDL (good cholesterol) levels. You can try to offset these side effects by supplementing with extra copper, but then you’ve got possible mineral toxicity with copper! Although the RDI for zinc in men is 11 mg, bodybuilders may need higher amounts due to the increased metabolic activity of their working muscles. I recommend taking up to 50 mg of Zinc per day. If your diet is high in oysters, liver, beef and turkey you may not need to take a Zinc supplement. For maximum performance, you may want to get your zinc levels tested. Ask your doctor to do a serum zinc assay on you. An acceptable range of serum zinc for athletes is 80-140 mcg/dl.