People who are at risk of having zinc deficiency consist of:
Vegans and vegetarians
People having sickle cell anemia
Breastfeeding and pregnant women
People who are having gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease
Those who are addicted to alcohol
Older people who are breastfed exclusively
People having chronic kidney disease
Malnourished people, consisting of those with bulimia or anorexia
Mild symptoms of zinc deficiency consist of thinning hair, dry skin, impairment of healing of the wound, decrease immunity and reduce appetite, diarrhea, fertility issues, and mood disturbances. The deficiency of zinc is hard to detect performing laboratory tests because your body has tight control over levels of zinc. So you still can be deficient even if the tests show normal levels. The doctor thinks a few other risk factors including genetics and poor intake of diet along with blood results when finding whether you require supplements or not.