The intake recommendations (D-A-CH reference values) of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) presented below are aimed at healthy people of normal weight. They do not refer to the supply of sick and convalescent people. Individual requirements may therefore be higher than the DGE recommendations (e.g. due to diet, consumption of stimulants, long-term medication, etc.). Furthermore, you will find the safe daily maximum amount (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA/SCF) in the table on the right. This value reflects the safe maximum amount of a micronutrient (vital substance) that does not cause any side effects when taken daily, lifelong from all sources (food and supplements). Since 2019, the DGE has given the recommended intake of zinc for adults as a function of phytate intake. This is because phytic acid inhibits the absorption of zinc by forming poorly soluble complexes (high phytate intakes can reduce bioavailability by up to 45%). Phytic acid is found primarily in cereal products (whole grains) and legumes. The following table is based on a mean phytate intake (660 mg/day), which is achieved when the rules for a whole-food diet of the DGE are taken into account.
Recommended intake
| Age | Zinc | ||
| mg/day | Tolerable Upper Intake Level of SCFb (mg) | ||
| m | w | ||
| Infants | |||
| 0 to under 4 monthsa | 1,5 | – – | |
| 4 to under 12 months | 2,5 | – – | |
| Children | |||
| 1 to under 4 years | 3,0 | 7 | |
| 4 to under 7 years | 4,0 | 10 | |
| 7 to under 10 years | 6,0 | 13 | |
| 10 to under 13 years | 9,0 | 8,0 | 18 |
| 13 to under 15 years | 12,0 | 10,0 | 18 |
| Adolescents and adults | |||
| 15 to under 19 years | 14,0 | 11,0 | 22 |
| 19 to under 25 years | 14,0 | 8,0 | 25 |
| 25 to under 51 years | 14,0 | 8,0 | 25 |
| 51 to under 65 years | 14,0 | 8,0 | 25 |
| 65 years and older | 14,0 | 8,0 | 25 |
| Pregnant | |||
| 1st trimester | 9,0 | 25 | |
| 2nd and 3rd trimester | 11,0 | 25 | |
| Breastfeeding | 13,0 | 25 | |
aEstimated value
At low phytate intakes (330 mg/day), the recommended intake of zinc for women 19 years of age and older is 7 mg, for men 19 years of age and older is 11 mg, for pregnant women in the 1st trimester is 7 mg, for pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters is 9 mg, and for lactating women is 11 mg per day. At high phytate intakes (990 mg/day), adult women are recommended 10 mg, adult men 16 mg of zinc, pregnant women in the 1st trimester 11 mg, pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters 13 mg, and lactating women 14 mg per day. In the course of the standardization of European regulations, valid Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) were issued in the European Union (EU) and made mandatory for nutrition labeling in 1990 in Directive 90/496/EEC. An update of this directive took place in 2008. In 2011, the RDA values were replaced by NRV values (Nutrient Reference Value) in Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011. The NRV values indicate the amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements that an average person should consume daily to meet their needs.
| Trace element | NRV |
| Zinc | 10 mg |
Caution. An NRV is not an indication of maximum amounts and upper limits – see above under “Tolerable Upper Intake Level” (UL).The NRV values also do not take into account gender and age – see above under Recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) e. V..