By Rachel D. Egan, PMHNP-BC

As we are well into cold and flu season at this point, it’s the time of year that many people start supplementing with zinc for its well-established benefits for immunity. But did you know that supporting a healthy zinc level is also critical for mood? Zinc is actually involved in serotonin production, so optimizing levels will support neurotransmitter production. Additionally, when zinc gets too low, copper can get too high; zinc and copper have an inverse relationship, and we need adequate levels of zinc to keep copper in check. Elevated copper can have a myriad of impacts to mental health including increased anxiety, worsening mood, and poor attention. Good sources of zinc in the diet include animal proteins, oysters and other shellfish, and nuts and seeds. As a reminder, before supplementing with zinc in capsule or tablet form, make sure to have the level checked with a provider who can give you explicit instructions about safely adding it in.