Zinc is needed for the production of stomach acid. If you don’t make stomach acid you don’t absorb zinc and vice versa. So lack of zinc can cause lack of stomach acid, which can also occur when taking proton pump inhibitors.
Problems in the digestive tract such as IBS, IBD or insufficient production of enzymes produced by the pancreas for digestion of food, can all contribute to zinc deficiency.
Zinc is also secreted into the intestinal fluid to help control intestinal flora population. If our intestinal flora isn’t balanced correctly you can have bloating, flatulence, constipation or diarrhoea.