Contrary to popular belief, zinc, an essential trace element, isn’t just used as a natural cold remedy. In fact, zinc should be incorporated into your diet in order to stay healthy and to successfully perform everyday bodily functions. Researchers at the Department of Dermatology at the University of California found that “zinc plays an essential role in numerous biochemical pathways.”
By adding zinc into your everyday diet, you will experience a number of health benefits, including the reduction of stress levels, control of diabetes, proper functioning of the digestive and immune system, improved metabolism, and faster healing rates for wounds and acne. Not only that but researchers have found that zinc benefits will cause improvements in the following: hair care, eczema, pregnancy, weight loss, colds, eye care, night blindness, and appetite loss.
Zinc plays a defining role in protein synthesis and helps to control cell production in the immune system. Though the trace element can be found throughout the human body, it tends to be found in the strongest muscles of the body. Additionally, zinc can be found in high concentrations in red and white blood cells, liver, kidneys, bones, eye retina, and pancreas. For men, zinc also be found in the prostate gland and semen.
Did you know that there are more than 300 different enzymes in the human body that need zinc to function properly? Plus, there are thought to be 100,000 proteins in the body and researchers believe that 3,000 of these proteins consist primarily of zinc.
Unless a person is suffering from, for example, zinc deficiency, a normal person will hold two to three grams of Zinc at any time. In the human body, there are certain organs that will secrete the mineral, including the prostate gland, the pancreas, and the salivary gland. There are even cells in the immune system that will secrete zinc. As a result, zinc is used up in a number of metabolic processes and sent out through excretory and urinary channels. Therefore, the mineral needs to be restored as often as possible. If you do not replenish the zinc that is used up and eliminated, you will start to experience zinc deficiency symptoms.
12 Common Symptoms of Zinc Deficiency.
- Low blood pressure
- Retarded bone growth
- Growth retardation
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of smell and taste senses
- Weight loss
- Hair loss
- Fatigue
- White spots under fingernails
- Depression
- Rough skin/Pale skin
Where Can You Get Sources of Zinc?
To avoid zinc deficiency, an individual needs to eat zinc foods. If you do this, you will experience a number of zinc benefits. It really is that simple. One of the most important zinc foods to incorporate into your diet is meat. If not meat, other zinc foods include: turnips, peas, oats, oysters, peanuts, almonds, whole wheat grain, pumpkin seeds, ginger root and pecan nuts.
What Are the Health Benefits of Adding Zinc to Your Diet?
In regards to health, here are the most important zinc benefits.
Eczema: Most know that eczema is an inflammatory, chronic disorder of the skin. But did you know that one of the main causes of eczema is zinc deficiency? For those suffering from eczema, re-balance the content of zinc in your blood and you will experience the following zinc benefits: rapid healing of chronic infections and the body will be able to restore its capability to both heal properly and completely.
Skin Care: Many use the mineral as a home remedy for fighting pimples and acne. In fact, zinc is crucial for ridding acne from the skin. For instance, zinc will maintain and control testosterone levels in the body, which plays a defining role in causing acne. Additionally, zinc is apart of collagen synthesis. This process helps to standardize the amount of oil in the skin and it will help maintain healthy skin. Plus, zinc is able to spark the white blood cell count and diminish the chance of infection. This is one of the more important zinc benefits as acne can create open sores, thus allowing bacterial and viral infections to enter. It’s extremely beneficial that zinc is able to stimulate the white blood cell count as white blood cells defend the human body against infections.
Last but not least, zinc benefits in skin care can help to reduce the look of permanent scars caused by acne.
Cognitive Function: Studies have shown that zinc can have considerable effects on mental function. Why? Because zinc can link up with vitamin B6 to make sure that the neurotransmitters that communicate with the human body are functioning properly. Additionally, zinc is found in the hippocampus, which is the brain region that controls both thought and memory. If you have suffered from an injury, additional zinc will help to maintain strong brain function. This is because the human body naturally sends zinc to parts of the body that need healing. Cool, right?
Sense of Smell and Taste: Aside from healthier skin or the reduction of stress, there are some pretty unique zinc benefits as well. One of which is that zinc has the ability to improve taste and smell senses. For instance, taste buds and olfactory cells are dependent on zinc and they need the mineral to develop and grow. All in all, increasing your zinc levels can heighten both your taste and smell senses.
Prostate disorder: When handling prostate disorders, zinc plays a defining role. If you have a zinc deficiency, the prostate gland can become enlarged and this makes it even more vulnerable to cancer. When dealing with prostate disorders, doctors will prescribe, under medical observation, 15mg of zinc daily. In regards to prostate disorders, one of the main zinc benefits is that there can be a decline in tumor growth in the prostate if there is zinc present in the individual’s system.
Infections and Colds: This is very well known but if you have a cold or a mild illness, doctors will recommend taking zinc supplements. These supplements will help to reduce both the duration and asperity of the illness. How do these supplements work? Well, zinc will decrease the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which provoke the body whenever you have a cold or an infection. Additionally, zinc supplements can help to protect an individual against infectious disorders or fungal infections, such as conjunctivitis and pneumonia.
Reproduction and Pregnancy: Zinc plays a defining role in the functioning of DNA as well as the repair. In regards to pregnancy, zinc helps to build key constituents of the cell. As many are aware, there is a tremendous amount of enzymatic activity and development that takes place over the course of pregnancy. For this reason, zinc is one of the more important nutrients for mothers and their infants.
For males, zinc plays a role in spermatogenesis and the development of the sex organs. For females, zinc helps in the reproductive phases, such as the lactation and the parturition stages.
In regards to sperm, zinc has a number of functions. First and foremost, zinc takes on the role of a sedative for the sperm so they don’t need to waste their energy. Second, zinc makes sure that the reproductive DNA inside the sperm won’t break. This is crucial as this will allow a correct transfer of information. Upon entering the female reproductive tract, the sperm gets a burst of energy, which shoots them up the tube. Last but not least, zinc plays a defining role in the enzymes that allow a man’s sperm to penetrate a woman’s egg.
Weight loss: For those struggling with obesity, zinc plays a defining role in weight loss. Studies have shown that zinc can cause a decrease in appetite, thus eliminating the need to overeat. Of course, this has a connection to zinc’s ability to manipulate the ghrelin hormone, which informs the body when and when not to eat.
Cancer: As mentioned, for males, zinc plays a crucial role in the prostate gland and helps to prevent premature damage, which can lead to problems like cancer down the road. Zinc has the ability to eliminate free radicals, which are byproducts of cell metabolism and free radicals can turn normal cells into cancerous cells by breaking the DNA integrity.
Antioxidant: Zinc has natural antioxidant properties, thus allowing it to be involved in biochemically decisive reactions in the body, such as enzymatic function, protein synthesis, and carbohydrate metabolism.
Enzyme Regulation: As a component in numerous enzymes, zinc helps to maintain cell growth, hormonal level, DNA, protein synthesis, energy metabolism and regulating gene transcription.
Bone loss: Unfortunately, bone loss is a condition which occurs when an individual’s bones become fragile and weak. As a component of hydroxyapatite, zinc is able to help make the bone matrix strong. As a result, zinc should be added to your diet in order to avoid bone loss. This is crucial as you get older.
Chronic Fatigue: Anyone suffering from chronic fatigue are usually told to add fish oil to their diet. Why? Because fish oil is heavily rich in zinc. There are no medications for tackling chronic fatigue except for consuming fish oil. Many speculate that chronic fatigue is caused by muscle fatigue and since zinc is key for muscle function, adding a zinc supplement should help to increase your energy levels.
Alopecia: This condition causes hair loss in adults as well as children. If you are suffering from this condition, you have to increase your zinc intake. As mentioned, there are zinc benefits for hair, therefore alopecia symptoms can be tackled by incorporating the mineral into your diet.
Night blindness: Are you struggling with your vision? Research has shown that consuming 150-450 mg of zinc will help to improve an individual’s vision. As a result, doctors will recommend eating the following to help with vision, particularly night blindness: lamb, beef, buckwheat, oysters and crabs.
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