Dietary zinc.
Zinc is an essential trace mineral. This element is second only to iron  in its concentration in the body and it is present in almost all cells. Zinc triggers the action or participates in the structure of nearly a hundred enzymes. The nutrient gets involved in numerous biochemical reactions and bodily functions.
Zinc promotes cell division, normal growth and development, during pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence. The mineral enhances immunity by helping in formation of a certain type of white blood cells, called T-lymphocytes and in acceleration of healing process.
Zinc contributes to synthesis of DNA, RNA and collagen. It also assists in improvement of male sexual disorders and fertility.
Zinc is required for metabolism of carbohydrates and phosphorus, protein digestion, energy production, maintenance of smell and taste sensation and proper function of liver, eyes and muscles.
Researchers believe that zinc can prevent prostate conditions, hypertension, colds and cataract. It can also participate in treatment of skin problems, such as acne, dermatitis, burns or psoriasis and boost post surgical recovery and foot ulcers healing.
Zinc lozenges, when used, can ease symptoms of cold viral infections and shorten the duration of the illness by interfering with and hindering the replication of the virus. For better results vitamin C may be contained. Try the  button, if you need such preparations. Copper supplements must be taken with zinc at the same time.
Zinc is well accepted and reasonably absorbed within the gastrointestinal track, especially if it is obtained from animal foods. Other nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper and dietary fiber can restrain absorption of zinc. Alcohol and oral contraceptives can diminish storages of zinc which are basically located in body tissues and organs, such as bones, brain, eye, lungs, muscles, heart and spleen. Significant amounts can be traced in skin, nails and hair as well. Under certain circumstances, like stress, excessive daily physical activity, diarrhea, increased urination, malabsorption and weight loss, zinc levels can be reduced within the body.
Sources of dietary zinc.
Good dietary sources of zinc include oysters, fish, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, liver and eggs. Other foods containing zinc are peanuts, peanut butter, pecans, whole grains, legumes, enriched cereals and milk. Fruits and vegetables are not good sources, since zinc when bound with plant proteins, cannot be absorbed properly. Thus, low-animal-protein diets and vegetarian diets tend to be low in zinc.
Dietary zinc food supplements.
In general, food supplements are recommended for vegetarians, because they can get deficient in zinc quite easily. People prone to allergies and diabetic patients may benefit from reasonable zinc supplementation. This is because the nutrient can prevent allergic reactions and regulate insulin production respectively. Nursing mothers may need to use relevant food supplements, since breastfeeding diminishes zinc storages. It is well known that alcohol can deplete zinc. Therefore, food supplements are considered beneficial for heavy drinkers.
Providing they are used according to the instructions and the personal needs, zinc food supplements are very useful sources for everyone. Try the following button, if you want to find such zinc supplements online. Bear in mind that zinc supplementation must be accompanied by uptake of copper preparations.
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Zinc deficiency and toxicity.
Zinc deficiency may occur either due to prolonged low dietary intake or poor absorption within the gastrointestinal track or due to increased requirements under particular circumstances. These risk factors can include alcoholism, stress, excessive daily physical activity, ageing, pregnancy, cadmium toxicity, cystic fibrosis, weight loss due to low-calorie diet or malnutrition, vegetarian diet, prolonged diarrhea, increased urination because of diuretic treatment, kidney conditions and malabsorption because of digestive disorders.
Symptoms and signs associated with zinc deficiency include slow growth, poor appetite, decrease in wound or burn healing, fatigue, hair loss, white spotted nails, reduced sense of taste and smell, diarrhea, impaired body resistance to infections, difficulty in adapting vision to the dark, skin lesions, unintentional weight loss, slow sexual maturation in male adolescents, erectile dysfunction and low sperm production.
Zinc is one of the least toxic of the trace elements. However, supplements in large amounts, like seventy to a hundred times the recommended amount, may cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, palpitations and copper deficiency symptoms usually occurring within three to ten hours after excessive supplementation. The symptoms retreat within a short period of time after the discontinuation of the supplements.
Recommendations for dietary zinc.
The zinc recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adolescents, adults of both genders and pregnant women is 11mg/day and for nursing mothers 12mg/day.
The above dose is the minimum daily intake recommended, in order zinc deficiency to be prevented but higher doses for optimum health can be taken. However, supplementation of more than 30mg of zinc per day is not needed, for healthy people. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) for adults, established in 2001, is 40mg/day for individuals with increased requirements. In general, a daily intake of 50mg of zinc is considered safe, without any important side-effects. |
