NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
🛡️

Zinc Carnosine

Polaprezinc

Mucosa-protecting zinc complex for ulcers and gut-lining repair.

Moderate evidence 🛡️Gut & Immune

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
7 verified / 7
Classification
Gut & Immune
❝
What the evidence says. Graded moderate: it is a licensed ulcer drug in Japan/Korea with consistent RCTs and meta-analyses for ulcer healing, H. pylori eradication and oral mucositis, but most trials are small, short and run in East-Asian populations, and several use it only as an add-on rather than a stand-alone therapy. (Moderate evidence: Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.)

What is Zinc Carnosine?

Zinc Carnosine (Polaprezinc) is a gut and immune supplement used for heal gastric ulcers. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Zinc carnosine (polaprezinc) is a chelate of zinc and L-carnosine that adheres to damaged mucosa, where it acts as an antioxidant and stimulates repair. It is an approved gastric-ulcer drug in Japan and South Korea. In a multicentre RCT, 8 weeks of 150 mg/day matched rebamipide for ulcer healing (~81% effective). A meta-analysis of RCTs found adding it to standard triple therapy roughly doubled H. pylori eradication odds (OR ~2.0 intention-to-treat) without extra side effects. Randomised trials in cancer patients show it markedly cuts severe oral mucositis from radio/chemotherapy, and a small crossover study found it blunted NSAID-induced rises in gut permeability. A pooled analysis also confirms it raises serum zinc and corrects deficiency. Limits: most trials are small, short, single-region, and often test it as an add-on, so the size of any stand-alone benefit for general 'gut health' is uncertain.

Purported Benefits

✓Heal gastric ulcers
✓Protect the gut lining
✓Boost H. pylori eradication
✓Ease oral mucositis
✓Correct zinc deficiency

Evidence by outcome

The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.

OutcomeEvidenceEffectStudies
Gastric ulcer healingOne multicentre double-blind RCT (n=224) showed ~81% healing, non-inferior to rebamipide; single trial, 8 weeks only. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 1
H. pylori eradication (as add-on to triple therapy)Meta-analysis of RCTs roughly doubled eradication odds (ITT OR 2.01); benefit is as an add-on, not standalone. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 2
Oral mucositis from radio/chemotherapySingle RCT in HSCT patients cut grade greater-or-equal 2 mucositis to 20% vs 82%; striking but small, single-study. Preliminary ↑ benefit · large 1
Gut barrier protection (NSAID-induced permeability)One small crossover trial in healthy adults blunted indomethacin-induced permeability rise; not a general gut-health endpoint. Preliminary ↑ benefit · moderate 1
Correcting zinc deficiency (raising serum zinc)IPD dose-response meta-analysis raised serum zinc by mean 9.08 ug/dL with dose-response; modest absolute increase. Moderate ↑ benefit · small 1

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
75 mg twice daily (150 mg/day, the licensed dose in Japan/Korea); gut-health supplements typically use 37.5 mg twice daily.
Active Compounds
Zinc (≈23%)L-carnosine (≈77%)

Safety & Cautions

Generally well tolerated; the most common effects are mild GI upset (nausea, constipation), and dysgeusia or copper depletion can occur with prolonged high-dose zinc, so courses beyond a few weeks should be monitored. Like other zinc products it can reduce absorption of certain antibiotics (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones), penicillamine and thyroid (levothyroxine) medication — separate doses by 2–4 hours. Rare hepatic and, in case reports, copper-deficiency anaemia/neuropathy have been described; avoid in Wilson's disease and use cautiously in pregnancy given limited data. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Zinc Carnosine with any medicine.

Key Studies

Meta-analysis Mahmoud 2022 ✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of RCTs: adding polaprezinc to triple therapy roughly doubled H. pylori eradication (ITT OR 2.01; PP OR 2.65), no extra adverse events.
Meta-analysis Sakae 2020 ✓ PubMed
IPD dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs: polaprezinc raised serum zinc by a mean 9.08 µg/dL vs placebo with a significant dose-response.
RCT Wang 2022 ✓ PubMed
Multicentre double-blind RCT (n=224): 150 mg/day for 8 weeks gave 81.5% gastric-ulcer healing, non-inferior to rebamipide (74.3%).
RCT Tan 2017 ✓ Full text
Multicentre RCT: polaprezinc + clarithromycin triple therapy raised H. pylori eradication to 77.0% vs 58.6% (ITT) without more side effects.
RCT Hayashi 2014 ✓ PubMed
RCT in HSCT patients: polaprezinc suspension cut grade ≥2 oral mucositis to 20% vs 82% and grade ≥3 to 0% vs 45% (both p<0.01).
RCT Mahmood 2007 ✓ PubMed
Crossover trial in healthy adults: zinc carnosine prevented the ~3-fold rise in small-bowel permeability caused by 5 days of indomethacin.
Review Hewlings 2020 ✓ PubMed
Narrative review summarising zinc-L-carnosine evidence for gastric/GI mucosal healing, oral mucositis and taste disorders.
7 sources cited · 7 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Zinc Carnosine

What is Zinc Carnosine used for?

Zinc Carnosine is most often taken for Heal gastric ulcers, Protect the gut lining, Boost H. pylori eradication, Ease oral mucositis. Mucosa-protecting zinc complex for ulcers and gut-lining repair.

Does Zinc Carnosine work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. Zinc carnosine (polaprezinc) is a chelate of zinc and L-carnosine that adheres to damaged mucosa, where it acts as an antioxidant and stimulates repair. It is an approved gastric-ulcer drug in Japan and South Korea. In a multicentre RCT, 8 weeks of 150 mg/day matched rebamipide for ulcer healing (~81% effective). A meta-analysis of RCTs found adding it to standard triple therapy roughly doubled H. pylori eradication odds (OR ~2.0 intention-to-treat) without extra side effects. Randomised trials in cancer patients show it markedly cuts severe oral mucositis from radio/chemotherapy, and a small crossover study found it blunted NSAID-induced rises in gut permeability. A pooled analysis also confirms it raises serum zinc and corrects deficiency. Limits: most trials are small, short, single-region, and often test it as an add-on, so the size of any stand-alone benefit for general 'gut health' is uncertain.

What is the typical dose of Zinc Carnosine?

75 mg twice daily (150 mg/day, the licensed dose in Japan/Korea); gut-health supplements typically use 37.5 mg twice daily.

Is Zinc Carnosine safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Generally well tolerated; the most common effects are mild GI upset (nausea, constipation), and dysgeusia or copper depletion can occur with prolonged high-dose zinc, so courses beyond a few weeks should be monitored. Like other zinc products it can reduce absorption of certain antibiotics (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones), penicillamine and thyroid (levothyroxine) medication — separate doses by 2–4 hours. Rare hepatic and, in case reports, copper-deficiency anaemia/neuropathy have been described; avoid in Wilson's disease and use cautiously in pregnancy given limited data.

How many studies support Zinc Carnosine?

NutriDex cites 7 sources for Zinc Carnosine, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Zinc Carnosine (Polaprezinc): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/zinc-carnosine

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_zinc_carnosine,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Zinc Carnosine (Polaprezinc): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/zinc-carnosine},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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