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Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Raloxifene (Evista) vs Zinc: Zinc has the stronger overall evidence (8.5 vs 5.3/10); they're alternatives for bone health — the best pick depends on your goals. Take the 60-second quiz for a pick tailored to your goals.
Zinc wins 3 of 3 categories. Both are solid choices — the best pick depends on your specific goals.
Verdict
Too few graded studies
Top outcomes
Verdict
Likely helps
13 of 15 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
Shared outcomes (1)
Outcomes where both Raloxifene (Evista) and Zinc have evidence — compare verdict strength side-by-side.
Approved (postmenopausal women) / off-label (male) — clinician-directed. For osteoporosis treatment/prevention and breast-cancer risk reduction the standard, validated dose is 60 mg once daily (the cited MORE and RUTH trials used 60 mg a day, and MORE also tested 120 mg a day: both doses reduced vertebral fracture risk, and the abstract does not compare side effects between them). For off-label male gynecomastia no cited study gives a dose, none covers men or children, and there is no FDA-approved male dose and the male evidence is thin and retrospective.
Any time of day
Raloxifene hydrochloride 60 mg tablets (approved for postmenopausal osteoporosis and breast-cancer risk reduction)
15-25mg daily (a typical label dose, not the dose used in the cited trials, which used about 30 mg a day)
With meals
Zinc picolinate or zinc citrate
and 4 more not shown
Months to years
Years
Throughout use
Throughout use
2-4 weeks
2-4 weeks
4-8 weeks
Immediate
Reduction of vertebral fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated with raloxifene: results from a 3-year randomized clinical trial. Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) Investigators.
JAMA (1999) · Rct · n=7705
MORE: multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of raloxifene 60 or 120 mg/day in 7,705 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, followed up to 36 months
The effect of raloxifene on risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: results from the MORE randomized trial. Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation.
JAMA (1999) · Rct · n=7705
Pre-specified breast-cancer analysis of the MORE RCT (7,705 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis), followed a median 40 months
Continuing outcomes relevant to Evista: breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal osteoporotic women in a randomized trial of raloxifene.
J Natl Cancer Inst (2004) · Rct · n=5213
CORE: extension of the randomized MORE trial giving 4 additional years of raloxifene 60 mg/day (n=3,510) vs continued placebo (n=1,703)
Efficacy of Zinc Supplementation in the Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Nutrients (2024) · Meta analysis · n=739
Zinc supplementation significantly reduced pain severity compared to placebo (Hedges's g = -1.541; 95% CI: -2.268 to -0.814; p < 0.001), representing a clinically meaningful reduction in pain.
Effects of Daily Zinc Alone or in Combination with Other Nutrient Supplements on the Risk of Malaria Parasitaemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
Nutrients (2023) · Meta analysis · n=1339
The effect sizes, represented as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were standardised by transforming them into log RRs and then pooling them using a fixed-effects or random-effects model depending on the heterogeneity across studies.
Prevalence of Zinc Deficiency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Nutrients (2022) · Meta analysis · n=806
Pooled analyses by the IBD subgroup showed a total population of 1677 with CD, for an overall mean zinc deficiency prevalence of 54% and 95% confidence intervals (CI) ranging from 0.51 to 0.56, versus 41% (95%CI 0.38-0.45) in the UC population (n = 806).
Zinc has a higher evidence score (8.5/10 vs 5.3/10) and wins in 3 of 3 categories.
For bone health, Raloxifene (Evista) has a higher relevance score (76 vs 70).
No documented interaction was found in the data searched. This does not establish that this exact combination is safe.
AREDS2 works for diagnosed AMD; lutein/screen-strain claims are weaker. Who actually benefits.
The popular one (saw palmetto) mostly fails in rigorous trials; beta-sitosterol is the better bet.
Selenium helps; iodine can WORSEN Hashimoto’s. The honest take on "thyroid support".
CoQ10, zinc, selenium, carnitine modestly help sperm parameters — but live-birth evidence is weak.
The right pick depends on your goals. Answer a few quick questions for a personalised recommendation — or dig into the full evidence on each.