Add-on · Minerals

Red cell zinc test in the UK

A red cell zinc test measures zinc inside your red blood cells, giving a steadier picture of your zinc status than serum zinc, which falls with infection, inflammation, meals and time of day. Zinc matters for immunity, wound healing, skin, hair, taste and testosterone. You can add red cell zinc to TrueVitals Ultimate for £49.

Add to Ultimate: £49Signature includes: Serum zincSample: Clinic or home visitMain report: 4 working days

Add to Ultimate: £448 Compare panels

Add red cell zinc to Ultimate

Add-ons are tested on the same blood draw as your panel and reported inside your clinician-reviewed report, read alongside your other 140 results. They are not sold on their own.

Ultimate + red cell zinc, partner clinic

£448£399 + £49 add-on

Blood draw at a partner clinic included.

Choose clinic

Ultimate + red cell zinc, home visit

£477£399 + £29 visit + £49

A nurse comes to your home or workplace.

Choose home visit

Pay in instalments with Klarna or Clearpay at checkout. Want it with Advanced instead? Email support@truevitals.co.uk and we will set it up.

What zinc does

Zinc is needed by hundreds of enzymes. It supports the immune system, wound healing, skin and hair, sense of taste and smell, sperm production and testosterone. The body has no real zinc store, so a steady intake matters.

Serum zinc drops during any infection or inflammation and varies through the day, which makes a single serum result hard to read. Red cell zinc changes more slowly and is less affected by those swings.

Who it is worth testing for

Vegans and vegetarians. Plant foods contain phytates that reduce zinc absorption.
Gut conditions such as coeliac disease, Crohn's or long-term diarrhoea, and after weight-loss surgery.
Regular alcohol, which increases zinc loss.
Frequent infections, slow healing, hair shedding or loss of taste.
People taking zinc supplements long term, to avoid taking too much.

Low and high

Low red cell zinc

Low intake or plant-based diet
Poor absorption or gut losses
Alcohol
Pregnancy and breastfeeding increase needs

High

Long-term high-dose supplements
Too much zinc blocks copper absorption and can cause copper deficiency, anaemia and low white cells

Zinc and copper together

Zinc and copper compete for absorption, so they are best read together. If you supplement zinc, adding red cell copper shows whether it is pushing copper down. Ultimate's full blood count, ferritin and white cell results help spot the knock-on effects.

Where to get a zinc test in the UK

Option	Includes it	Price	What else you get
Ultimate + red cell zinc	Yes	£448 incl. clinic draw (home visit £477)	Read alongside full blood count, ferritin, white cells, testosterone and hs-CRP. Clinician-reviewed report.
TrueVitals Signature	Serum only	£799 incl. draw	Includes serum zinc (not red cell), with 230 biomarkers at Randox Health clinics.
NHS GP	On request	Free if clinically indicated	Serum zinc, usually for specific clinical questions.

TrueVitals prices checked 5 November 2026. Every TrueVitals report is clinician-reviewed. Pay in instalments with Klarna or Clearpay. Book a draw at one of 103 partner clinics, or add a home visit.

Be honest with yourself about what this test is for

When to see your GP: unexplained weight loss, ongoing diarrhoea or wounds that will not heal need a GP assessment whatever your zinc level.

A private panel is a good way to get a baseline, understand a result in context and track it over time. It does not replace your GP for symptoms, and anything that needs follow-up is flagged in plain words in your report.

Read alongside

Red cell zinc on its own rarely tells the whole story. In TrueVitals panels it is reported with these related markers:

Red cell copperFull blood countFerritin White blood cellshs-CRPTestosterone

Frequently asked questions

Is zinc included in the Ultimate blood test?

No. Ultimate does not include zinc. You can add red cell zinc for £49. Signature includes serum zinc.

Why red cell zinc rather than serum zinc?

Serum zinc falls with infection, inflammation and meals and changes through the day, so one result can mislead. Red cell zinc reflects a longer period and is less affected by those factors.

Can you take too much zinc?

Yes. Taking more than about 25mg a day long term (the UK upper guide level) can lower copper and cause anaemia. Testing helps you supplement only as much as you need.

Does zinc affect testosterone?

Zinc deficiency can lower testosterone and sperm quality. Correcting a real deficiency can help, but extra zinc does not raise testosterone in people who already have enough.

Can I add copper too?

Yes. Email support@truevitals.co.uk and we will set up an order with both add-ons.

When will my result arrive?

Some specialist add-ons are sent on to a reference laboratory. Your main report arrives within 4 working days, and if an add-on result comes back later it is added to your report automatically and we let you know.

How this page was written: by James Smillie, founder of TrueVitals, reviewed by the TrueVitals clinical review team, using NHS and laboratory reference sources. Ranges are typical values; your report uses your lab's own ranges. TrueVitals sells the panels named on this page, so we have stated plainly what this test cannot do. Last updated 5 November 2026.

Check zinc with the full picture

Ultimate + red cell zinc: £448 including the clinic draw, or £477 with a home visit. Clinician-reviewed report.

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