Zinc absorption and achlorhydria.

Zinc absorption from 40 mumol of zinc in a water solution and from a test meal containing 22 mumol of zinc was studied in 8 patients with achlorhydria (no basal acid secretion and no secretion after pentagastrin stimulation). The test dose and the meal was labelled with 0.1 MBq of 65Zn and absorption was determined from measurement of the whole-body retention of the isotope. Zinc absorption was 68 +/- 16 per cent (mean +/- s.d.) from the water solution and 33 +/- 10 per cent from the test meal. The results did not differ from absorption in control subjects and indicate that achlorhydria per se does not affect zinc absorption.