Zinc is a trace mineral we can’t live without. Surprisingly, 75% of people in our over-fed and undernourished Western nations are deficient in Zinc. Over 300 enzymes in our body need zinc to function, so zinc plays an important role in maintaining healthy functioning of a lot of processes in our body. So let’s look at all the ways Zinc helps us, how we got deficient and how we can replenish the nutrient that is more important than you probably realize. (By the way, if you want help avoiding the “impending flu epidemic” that is being talked about all over the news, zinc can help)
Zinc Helps Us To Detoxify
Ok, you know I’m big on detoxing – and I should be and so should you! So zinc helps protect the liver (who takes the brunt of our toxic habits) from cirrhosis, high fructose corn syrup damage and other liver damage from medication, chemicals and metals.
Because zinc is an antioxidant mineral, it helps prevent all sorts of free-radical-driven diseases including cataracts, aging, sun-damaged skin, atherosclerosis, age-related macular degeneration and cancer, amongst others.
Zinc Helps Us Digest Our Food
Zinc helps make both stomach acid, and some of the digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. The cruel joke is you need sufficient stomach acid to break down your food to get the Zinc out of it. See: https://curtis.webxpats.com/articles/a-suggestion-about-your-digestion/
Zinc Helps Us With Balancing Our Blood Sugar
Zinc is needed to make insulin, the hormone which helps us regulate blood sugar levels. Without zinc, you will have cravings and low energy. Zinc address high blood sugar, low blood sugar, Metabolic Syndrome, pre-Diabetes, and Type I and II Diabetes.
Zinc Helps Us Build and Repair Our Cells and Tissues
This means you need it for your muscles when you work out and for cell division and DNA synthesis to repair and rebuild your body.
As far as bone tissue goes, zinc helps harden and strengthens bone tissue and regulates the production of calcitonin, a hormone which regulates bone growth.
Teeth benefit from zinc because it keeps them cavity-free and helps enamel stay strong.
Children need Zinc to make growth hormone in order to grow properly.
Skin and Hair benefit because they are constantly shedding and you need the zinc to form new cells to replace them. Since zinc helps make new cells, you need it to repair cuts, burns and to treat acne, psoriasis, dandruff, boils, dermatitis, dry skin, bedsores, and recovery from surgery.
Your whole body on the inside also has smooth tissue, like skin, that also needs zinc. For example, the gut wall and all the intestinal tubes, and the walls of blood vessels, all need healthy cell production to function well.
It helps make IMMUNE cells which your body uses up quickly when you are sick. It also helps to protect from getting viruses, bacteria and fungi. Basically, any time your immune system is called on to help fight something, you need zinc!
Zinc is needed to build reproductive cells and is important in normal sexual function and fertility in both men and women.
Zinc Helps Us Keep Our Nervous System Running Correctly
What this means is zinc regulates the activity of brain chemicals, fatty acids, and melatonin which all are connected to ADHD, Alzheimer’s’s disease, apathy, autism, dyslexia, depression, schizophrenia, and in boosting attention, learning and memory.
Zinc is responsible for a list of functions including helping us be able to taste, smell, hear, have a good appetite, and have a good libido.
OK, Guys – Zinc Could Help With Male Pattern Baldness and Prostate Enlargement
The enzyme 5 alpha reductase converts testosterone to DHT, which has been implicated in hair loss and prostate enlargement. By inhibiting this enzyme, zinc may be able to inhibit these processes.
So How Do You Get So Zinc Deficient?
Accelerated loss of zinc through stress, alcohol, medication or other means.
Increased need, for example, because of pregnancy, breastfeeding, exercise or illness.
Insufficient intake of zinc via poor diet (processed food, vegan and vegetarianism) or poor absorption because of intestinal problems, chronic disease or the presence of other substances or drugs that prevent absorption.
What Can You Eat and Take To Handle Your Zinc Deficiency?
Food
A wide variety of foods contain zinc. Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food, but red meat and poultry provide the majority of zinc in the American diet. Other good food sources include beans, nuts, certain types of seafood (such as crab and lobster) and dairy products.
NOTE: Phytates—which are present in whole-grain breads, cereals, legumes, and other foods—bind zinc and inhibit its absorption. Thus, the bioavailability of zinc from grains and plant foods is lower than that from animal foods, although many grain- and plant-based foods are still sources of zinc.
Supplements
Zinc Liver Chelate is used for short-term support of healthy immune function and wound healing.
- Promotes protein synthesis
- Provides cofactor support for enzymatic functioning
- Supports male hormonal health
- Supports digestion
Chezyn is a balanced trace mineral complex of zinc, copper, and iron.
- Encourages healthy cellular energy production
- Supports proper enzyme functioning
- Supports normal blood production
- Supports immune function
- Supports cognitive function
- Supports healthy thyroid function
- Supports normal testes function
These recommendations are for the reduction of stress only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease, or as a substitute for regular medical care.