Zinc Oxide vs. Zinc Gluconate
Among 8,549 on-market zinc products with an identifiable primary form, 29% use Zinc Oxide (2,481 products) and 15.1% use Zinc Gluconate (1,289).
| Zinc Oxide | Zinc Gluconate | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality tier | Tier 3 | Tier 2 |
| Zinc by weight | 80.3% | 14.3% |
| Share of market | 29% | 15.1% |
| On-market products | 2,481 | 1,289 |
| Median declared dose | 15 elemental mg middle half: 8–23.6 | 7.5 elemental mg middle half: 3–15 |
| Most common brands | New Chapter, GNC Mega Men, GNC Women's Ultra Mega | DC, Wonder Laboratories, Nature's Way |
Doses are declared per serving in elemental mg. “By weight” is the share of the ingredient that is the nutrient itself (e.g. elemental magnesium in a magnesium salt).
Why Zinc Oxide is tier 3
Isotope-tracer RCT: absorption 49.9%, significantly lower than citrate/gluconate; 3/15 subjects showed little/no absorption.
Source: Wegmuller R et al. 2014, PMID 24259556
Why Zinc Gluconate is tier 2
Absorption 60.9%, statistically comparable to citrate, both significantly better than oxide.
Source: Wegmuller R et al. 2014, PMID 24259556
Tiers summarize published comparative bioavailability or outcome evidence for each form (see methodology).
This page describes the market; it is not a recommendation to take either form. Talk to a clinician about what's right for you.
Other zinc comparisons
- Zinc Oxide vs. Zinc Citrate
- Zinc Oxide vs. Zinc Bisglycinate Chelate
- Zinc Oxide vs. Zinc Amino Acid Chelate
- Zinc Citrate vs. Zinc Gluconate
- Zinc Citrate vs. Zinc Bisglycinate Chelate
- Zinc Citrate vs. Zinc Amino Acid Chelate
- Zinc Gluconate vs. Zinc Bisglycinate Chelate
- Zinc Gluconate vs. Zinc Amino Acid Chelate
- Zinc Bisglycinate Chelate vs. Zinc Amino Acid Chelate