Zinc belongs to a group of a trace minerals which means that our body needs only small amounts of it but it is extremely important for our health.
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Zinc is usually connected with senses of taste and smell but it is so much more: it is necessary for the creation of DNA, cells growth, it is needed for building near to 100 enzymes, vital chemical reactions are impossible without it, it build proteins, and heals damaged tissue. It supports our immune system so it's vital to our health.
Knowing just that, its importance in the creation of DNA, we can see that zinc is necessary during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence for the body to grow.
It is, however, extremely important in adults too. The tissues that have the highest zinc content are bones, liver, prostate and testicles. Zinc deficiency can lead to low testosterone levels and consequently reduced male fertility.
Other people who must take care are pregnant women, vegetarians and vegans.
When there is a zinc deficiency, our body is more vulnerable to viruses and bacteria because the activity of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages that protect us is slowed down.
In poor countries, like is the case with many other things, zinc deficiency is a common problem in children and that leads to slow growth, diarrhea or malaria.
We said that zinc heals damaged tissue and that easy to explain: it is needed to create new cells, such as collagen, and that's necessary for repairing damaged cells. If we have enough zinc, it supports immune system cells and that helps us fight against a wound inflammations.
Zinc salts irreversibly inhibit herpes virus replication and are effective in treating herpes infections, which is a nice and easy way to get rid of herpes.
Zinc deficiency, may be due to a lack of zinc in the diet or an underlying medical condition.
One of the obvious signs of zinc deficiency are irregular white spots on the nails.
Signs of zinc deficiency include: loss of taste or smell, poor appetite, diarrhea, decreased immunity, delayed wound healing, depressed mood, and hair loss.
Some people do not absorb zinc well, such as people with inflammatory bowel diseases or those with chronic liver or kidney disease, but prolonged diarrhea can also lead to a zinc deficiency. Acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE), an inherited form of zinc deficiency, is caused by a defect in the absorption of zinc.
The level of zinc in the blood depends on the amount of zinc in the food. So, where do we find zinc?
When talking about meat sources: beef, pork, poultry, oysters, crab, and lobsters are rich in zinc. When talking about plants: legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fortified breakfast cereals (when cereals have added vitamins and minerals that aren’t present in them) are good sources of zinc.
Of course, there are zinc supplements, but if we eat enough of proper food, we don't need them. Now, if we take too much of a supplement, zinc toxicity may occur, but we can't get too much zinc from the food.
Signs of zinc toxicity are nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, abdominal pain, abdominal cramping, headache, or diarrhea.
When taking zinc as a supplement, it should be taken two hours before antibiotics or rheumatoid arthritis drug penicillamine. A blood pressure drug increase the amount of zinc lost in urine, so that should be taken into account.
Long-term intake of zinc in large doses can reduce copper absorption which can result in a deficiency of copper over time. For that reason, it is important to take an adequate amount of copper when taking zinc at the same time.
The recommended doses of zinc are for adults 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women, and maximum 40 mg daily for all men and women. Women in pregnancy and lactation require 11 mg and 12 mg.
The recommended amount for children 7 to 10 years of age is 7 to 9 mg per day; children 4 to 6 years 5 mg per day, children to 3 years 4 mg per day.