Zinc is one of the most important nutrients, as it's the second-most abundant metal in the body and found in every cell. It's responsible for immunity, wound healing, acne prevention, and digestion.
What is Zinc Bisglycinate?
Zinc bisglycinate is a chelated form of zinc, meaning that it's attached to other molecules which makes it easier for it to pass into the digestive system (while minimizing discomfort). It's an excellent form of zinc that is not as well-studied as zinc picolinate, but there's promising emerging research showing it could be the best form yet.
It consists of a zinc attached to two molecules of the amino acid glycine ("bis" means "two", hence the name). It's sometimes also called zinc glycine.
This form of zinc is often found in prescription osteoarthritis medicines to reduce pain and swelling, and as you'll see in the next section, shows promise to be the best form of zinc on the market.
Image credit: PubChem via the National Library of Medicine
Why Zinc Bisglycinate Chelate?
Several studies have compared the effectiveness of zinc bisglycinate to other forms of zinc and have proven that it's superior.
In one 6-week study (1), zinc bisglycinate was compared with zinc gluconate and a placebo. Ten of the ten subjects had improved zinc blood levels after the 6 weeks, compared with only 4 of the 10 who took zinc gluconate - some of the others who took zinc gluconate even saw a decrease in zinc levels.
Another study (2) compared zinc bisglycinate, zinc picolinate, zinc gluconate, and zinc oxide. After 4 hours, subjects who took bisglycinate had the highest zinc red blood cell levels, followed by picolinate, and then the other two forms.Â
While the study above is not as thorough as some of the others (as it was only performed over 4 hours and didn't measure long-term levels), it seems safe to say the two best forms of zinc are picolinate and bisglycinate chelates, so we've included both in our zinc immunity formula for maximum benefit.
Sources
1-Â Moderately High Dose Zinc Gluconate or Zinc Glycinate: Effects on Plasma Zinc and Erythrocyte Superoxide Dismutase Activities in Young Adult Women
2- Comparison of Four Commercially Available Zinc Supplements for Performance in a Zinc Tolerance Test