Zinc

Required for immune function, wound healing, taste and smell, and testosterone production. Serum zinc falls after food and during illness, so when the sample is taken matters.

Zinc in the Biomarker Guide — what it is, why it is tested, and what moves the number.

Add-on markers can only be added to venous samples.

This marker sits outside the lab’s UKAS ISO 15189 scope. Same lab, same analysers — see Turnaround Times for what that means.

Timing

Take in the morning, before any supplements. Serum zinc falls after food and drifts through the day. If you take a zinc supplement, leave at least 24 hours between the last dose and the sample.

Turnaround: the lab reports this test within 24 hours of receiving your sample, counted in working days. Most samples reach them within about 3 days of posting. Full detail on our Turnaround Times page.

We do not interpret results. Not medical advice or a diagnosis.