Zinc in pregnancy  

The role of zinc in pregnancy is a very important one, supporting your baby’s healthy growth and development whilst in the womb and beyond - including through infancy childhood and adulthood¹. As such, zinc should form part of any healthy and balanced pregnancy diet.

Zinc in pregnancy helps your baby’s organs and skeleton to form as they grow, as well as supporting the development of their nervous and circulatory systems². It also supports the construction of your baby’s cells, enzymes and DNA during pregnancy, and is needed for cell division and tissue growth³.

Ensuring that you have an adequate supply of zinc during pregnancy has various other benefits for your baby, too. Found in high concentrations in the brain⁴, it’s important for normal brain development and function⁵, laying the foundation for all future learning and development. Zinc in pregnancy also helps your growing baby to build a strong immune system⁶.

Zinc also supports your own immune system too, protecting you against infections and helping wounds to heal¹.

The recommended daily intake for every woman, including pregnant women, is 7mg each day⁷, all of which you’ll get from the foods you eat.

Getting the right amount of zinc in your prenatal diet is very important, particularly when it comes to fending off illness. This is because during pregnancy, your immune system is weaker than it normally would be, as it prioritises protecting the health of your growing baby⁸.  

You should be able to get all the zinc you need from a healthy and balanced diet that contains a wide variety of different foods.

Whilst there has been some suggestion that zinc supplementation in pregnancy may help to reduce the risk of low birth weight and preterm labour in low-income settings, it does seem to prevent other negative pregnancy outcomes and further research is needed^{9, 10}.

If you’re concerned about your zinc levels during your pregnancy, always speak to your doctor or midwife for advice.

If you’re concerned about your zinc levels during your pregnancy, always seek medical advice as to the best next steps for you. If your doctor or other healthcare professional feels that it’s necessary, you may be offered a blood test to determine what your zinc levels and, and what, if any, treatment you need.  

If you’re breastfeeding, it’s important to know that zinc levels in your breast milk are at their highest in the first month after birth. After 6 months, breast milk alone will not be able to provide your baby with amount of zinc that they need, and you’ll need to make sure that your baby is getting enough zinc as part of their weaning diet¹.

If you decide to breastfeed your baby, you shouldn’t need to make any special dietary changes, but it’s a good idea to maintain a healthy and balanced diet to support your breastfeeding journey.

You can learn more about a healthy breastfeeding diet here, and you can always talk to your midwife or healthcare professional if you’d like more advice.

Zinc can be found in a number of different foods, including¹¹:

• Meat and poultry
• Cheese 
• Fish
• Shellfish such as oysters, crab, cockles and mussels
• Nuts and seeds - pumpkin seeds and pine nuts are good examples 
• Legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and beans 

Wholegrain breakfast cereals and wholegrain and seeded breads also contain zinc, however the phytates they contain can inhibit the absorption of zinc from other foods. To maximise your intake from other sources, avoid regularly eating these foods at the same time¹.  

Clinical studies have produced inconsistent results in terms of the effect of too much zinc or a lack of zinc during pregnancy. However, according to the NHS, too much zinc could hinder your ability to absorb copper. This is turn can lead to weakened bones and anaemia⁷.

What we do know is that zinc is vital for our overall health, and it’s essential that we include it in our daily diets.