Editing Zinc (section)

====Dietary intake====
[[File:Foodstuff-containing-Zinc.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Recommended Dietary Allowance|Foods and seasonings]] containing zinc|alt=Several plates full of various cereals, fruits and vegetables on a table.]]

Animal products such as meat, fish, shellfish, fowl, eggs, and dairy contain zinc. The concentration of zinc in plants varies with the level in the soil. With adequate zinc in the soil, the food plants that contain the most zinc are wheat (germ and bran) and various seeds, including [[sesame]], [[poppy]], [[alfalfa]], [[celery]], and [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]].<ref name="Ensminger1993">{{Cite book|last=Ensminger|first=Audrey H.|author2=Konlande, James E. |title=Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia|publisher=CRC Press|location=Boca Raton, Florida|date=1993|edition=2nd|pages=2368–2369|isbn=978-0-8493-8980-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMA9gYIj-C4C}}</ref> Zinc is also found in [[bean]]s, [[nut (fruit)|nuts]], [[almond]]s, [[whole grain]]s, [[pumpkin seed]]s, [[sunflower seed]]s, and [[blackcurrant]].<ref name="USDA_Zn">{{cite web|url=http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR20/nutrlist/sr20w309.pdf |title=Zinc content of selected foods per common measure |access-date=December 6, 2007 |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |work=USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305081926/http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR20/nutrlist/sr20w309.pdf |archive-date=March 5, 2009 }}</ref>

Other sources include [[food fortification|fortified food]] and [[dietary supplement]]s in various forms. A 1998 review concluded that zinc oxide, one of the most common supplements in the United States, and zinc carbonate are nearly insoluble and poorly absorbed in the body.<ref name="Allen1998" /> This review cited studies that found lower plasma zinc concentrations in the subjects who consumed zinc oxide and zinc carbonate than in those who took zinc acetate and sulfate salts.<ref name="Allen1998">{{Cite journal|first=Lindsay H.|last=Allen|title=Zinc and micronutrient supplements for children|journal=American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=68|issue=2 Suppl|date=1998|pmid=9701167|pages=495S–498S|doi=10.1093/ajcn/68.2.495S|doi-access=free}}</ref> For fortification, however, a 2003 review recommended cereals (containing zinc oxide) as a cheap, stable source that is as easily absorbed as the more expensive forms.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rosado|first=J. L.|title=Zinc and copper: proposed fortification levels and recommended zinc compounds|journal=Journal of Nutrition|volume=133|date=2003|pmid=12949397|issue=9|pages=2985S–9S|doi=10.1093/jn/133.9.2985S|doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2005 study found that various compounds of zinc, including oxide and sulfate, did not show statistically significant differences in absorption when added as fortificants to maize tortillas.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hotz|first=C.|author2=DeHaene, J. |author3=Woodhouse, L. R. |author4=Villalpando, S. |author5=Rivera, J. A. |author6= King, J. C. |title=Zinc absorption from zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, zinc oxide + EDTA, or sodium-zinc EDTA does not differ when added as fortificants to maize tortillas|journal=Journal of Nutrition|volume=135|date=2005|pmid=15867288|issue=5|pages=1102–5|doi=10.1093/jn/135.5.1102|doi-access=free}}</ref>