Everything you should know about zinc

Zinc is a nutrient that is necessary to several biological processes. Zinc cannot be produced by your body; therefore you must consume it or take supplements to get it. Today we will be looking at different types of benefits, dosage recommendations, uses, and other information about zinc.

What exactly is Zinc?

Zinc is a type of nutrient which is very important for the functioning of our body and our body does not has any mechanism to actually produce or store it.

Zinc is important for our body as it helps in the following body functions:

• Wound healing
• Enzymatic reactions
• Growth and development
• Immune function
• Gene expression
• Protein synthesis
• DNA synthesis

Fortunately, we can find zinc in different sources like plants and animals. There are other food items which do not have zinc in their natural form like protein bars, baking flour, cereals, but mixed with artificial zinc.

There is also an option to consume zinc supplements as well or just multi-vitamins. Zinc is important for our body because it helps in the functioning of immune system. Zinc can also be found in other items like nasal spray, cold treatments, and lozenges.

Zinc’s Function in the Body

Your body utilizes zinc, a crucial element, in a variety of ways. In fact, every cell in your body contains zinc, which is the second-most prevalent trace mineral after iron. Over 300 enzymes that help with metabolism, digestion, nerve function, and many other activities all require zinc to function. Apart from all of this, zinc is also important for the functioning and development of our immune cells.

This mineral is also said to be great for the healthy of out skin, production of protein, and DNA synthesis. The growth of our body and development is also dependent on zinc because of the role it has for cell growth and division.

Your perceptions of taste and smell depend on zinc as well. A zinc shortage might impair your sense of taste or smell since one of the enzymes necessary for healthy taste and smell depends on it.

Health Benefits of zinc

Improves our Immune System

As we have mentioned above, zinc plays a vital role for the functioning of out immune system, because of the importance for cell signaling. When you are deficient in zinc, then it can lead to an immune system that is weak.

You can go with some zinc supplements as well that helps in stimulating your immune cells along with a reduction in oxidative stress.

There are some studies done on this benefit, for example a study concluded that taking 80 to 90 mg of zinc for daily basis helps in reducing the duration for common cold.

Additionally, zinc supplements greatly lower the risk of illnesses and strengthen the immune system in older persons.

Speeds wound healing

If we look at hospitals, then we can commonly see the use of zinc for the treatments of skin related injuries, ulcers, burns, etc. Mainly because zinc is a type of mineral that helps in the synthesis of collagen, functioning of immune system, and inflammatory response.

Another fact which you might not know about zinc is that our skin has 5% of the overall zinc in our body. When you are deficient in zinc, then it can reduce the speed of wound healing. Therefore, taking zinc supplements can help in enhancing your recovery process.

For example, those taking 200 mg of zinc daily experienced considerably fewer blisters than those in the placebo group in a three-month research involving 60 people with diabetic foot ulcers.

Might help in treating acne

Acne is a skin related problem which is something almost everyone faces and it is said that almost 9.4% of the whole population is suffering from it.

Acne is a problem which mainly happens because of difficultly in glands responsible for oil production.

According to studies, zinc can successfully treat acne by lowering inflammation, preventing the growth of the P. acnes bacterium, and reducing the activity of the oil glands when applied topically or taken orally. If you are someone who suffers from acne, then taking some zinc supplements can help in reducing it especially when you are suffering from zinc deficiency.

Might help in reducing age related health problems

Zinc is also said to be beneficial when it comes to reducing the chances of health problems related to age like infections, muscle degeneration, pneumonia, etc.

Zinc also helps in reducing your oxidative stress which does enhances the response of your immune system. This also helps in improving the activity of T-cells and killer cells.

Adults over 65 who take zinc supplements have better influenza vaccination responses, lower pneumonia risk, and increased cognitive function.

There is another study done which concluded that consuming 45 mg of zinc on daily basis, then the chance for developing infection does reduces.

Additionally, taking daily antioxidant supplements of vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene along with 80 mg of zinc prevented vision loss and greatly lowered the chance of advanced AMD in a major research involving over 4,200 participants.

Reduction in inflammation

Zinc lowers levels of some inflammatory proteins in your body and minimizes oxidative damage. Chronic inflammation brought on by oxidative stress contributes to a variety of chronic conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and mental deterioration.

A study involving 40 older persons found that those who consumed 45 mg of zinc for daily basis saw lower levels of inflammatory markers than those who received a placebo.

Deficiency Symptoms

Despite the rarity of severe zinc deficiency, it can happen to anyone who takes certain immune-suppressing drugs, has an alcohol addiction, or has a rare genetic mutation. It can also happen to nursing children whose mothers are deficient in zinc.

Reduced growth and development, delaying sexual maturity, skin rashes, persistent diarrhea, impaired wound healing, and behavioral problems are all signs of severe zinc deficiency.

Lighter forms of zinc deficiency are pretty frequent, particularly in children in underdeveloped nations where critical minerals are frequently missing from meals.

It is also said that there are more than 2 billion people in the whole word who suffer from zinc deficiency mainly because of improper diet.

There are more than 450,000 deaths in children under the age of five are attributed to zinc deficiency each year because it weakens the immune system and raises the risk of infection.

People at Risk related with zinc deficiency:

• People suffering from sickle cell anemia
• Women who are breastfeeding and pregnant.
• Older infants who just depend on breastmilk
• Use of alcohol
• Experiencing from Crohn’s disorder and other gastral problems.
• People who do not consume animal derived products.
• Being malnourished
• Long term kidney health problems

There are symptoms for zinc deficiency, which is mild like, hair thinning, reduced appetite, mood changes, dry skin, poor wound healing, diarrhea, etc.

Due to your body’s strict regulation of zinc levels, zinc insufficiency is difficult to identify with laboratory tests. Therefore, even if tests show normal levels, you could still be inadequate.

When deciding whether you require supplements, doctors take into account additional risk factors, such as bad dietary habits and heredity, in addition to blood test results.

Food Sources for zinc

When it comes to getting your zinc from food sources, then there are plant and animal related items that you can consider accordingly.  

Here are some food items which have good amount of zinc in them:

• For shellfish food items you can go with crab, oysters, lobsters, and clams.
• For fishes, you have the option of salmon, sardines, flounder, and sole.
• Meat related food items can be lamb and bison.
• Coming to the poultry section, then chicken and turkey will do the job.
• If you are looking for vegetables, then kale, peas, beet greens, mushrooms, and asparagus can be considered.
• There are some nuts and seeds as well like cashews, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
• There are some dairy related products as well like milk, cheese, and yogurt as well.
• When it comes to vegetarian option, then in legumes you have kidney bean, black beans, lentils, and chickpeas.

Final word

Zinc is a nutrient that you should consider in your diet because it helps in DNA synthesis, immunity functions and metabolism as well. There are multiple benefits of zinc as we have talked about in this article.