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Most of us learn about the importance of vitamins such as vitamins A, B, and C, or about proteins, carbohydrates, and fats while we’re still in school. We also learn about the importance of minerals like calcium and iron as well as about how a lack of these might affect us.
But what about other essential nutrients?How can a lack of those affect us?
For instance;what is a zinc deficiency, andwhat are the symptoms of the same?Is a zinc deficiency dangerous? And,what are the health benefits of zinc?
We’re going to answer these questions over the course of this blog so that you can make lifestyle choices that better serve your physical health!
A zinc deficiency can certainly be dangerous. In order to better understand how a zinc deficiency may adversely affect health, it's important to get a clearer sense of how certain minerals, zinc included, benefit us and which bodily processes they support.
Did you know that there are more than 10 essential minerals that the human body needs in varying quantities to sustain normal function? These include:
A lack of iodine leads to impaired development, and the same is essential for everything from metabolism to regular physical and mental function and development.
For bone health, vitamin D activation, neuro-communication, and activation of clotting mechanisms within the blood.
Electrolyte stabilization, maintenance of bodily fluid balance, and maintenance of pH or acidity balance in the stomach.
Helps fight acne and skin infection, counteracts DNA damage, and has anti-bacterial properties that benefit the body when the mineral is present in trace amounts.
Promotes iron uptake making the same more efficient and facilitates the production of energy within individual cells.
Keeps cells safe from oxidative damage in the long term and supports metabolism and manufacture of thyroid hormones.
This supports and plays a key roll in processes which include muscle contractions and movement, bodily fluid balance, and nerve impulse control.
A deficiency of phosphorous can result in diseases related to the bones. Further, phosphorous is essential for muscle coordination, nerve function, and the repair of both bones and teeth.
Apart from the facilitation of blook clotting, manganese plays a key role in the processing of proteins, carbohydrates, and cholesterol. Manganese is also essential for cell division.
An essential mineral whose lack can cause serious and immediate ill-effects, iron is essential for the production of hemoglobin which is needed for oxygen transportation from the lungs to the cells. A lack of iron can lead to both anemia and eventual cell death.
Apart from maintaining brain and heart health reducing the risk of strokes, it is also essential to regulate nerve impulses, fluid balance, and bodily muscle contractions.
Is an essential element for the production of energy as well as for functions relating to muscles, nerves and movement.
Much like the minerals mentioned above, zinc is essential when it comes to supporting regular and healthy daily body function. Though zinc is required in trace amounts, saying its impact on the body is immense and widespread would be an understatement.
Functions and bodily processes that zinc supports and contributes to include:
Zinc is essential when it comes to the functioning of over 250 different enzymes within the body. Enzymes are what support our metabolic processes and any retardation in their function can result in effects that the individual suffering can feel severely.
One of the most important roles played by zinc is the facilitation of both the process of cell division and the process of healthy cell growth according toresearch.
Most of us are almost constantly exposed to all kinds of germs, bacteria, and viruses. Our immune system is constantly at work keeping us safe from sickness and infection – if it wasn’t, most of us would be sick every other day. Further, normally negligible viruses and infections would prove fatal.
The immune system can be further classified into theinnate and adaptive immune system respectively. Zinc largely supports the adaptive immune system, strengthening it and helping it function efficiently. The reason for this is partially the role of zinc in cell proliferation and growth as cells are the building blocks of all the systems within our bodies – the immune system included.
Zinc is key when it comes to the reduction ofoxidative stress. It also helps diminish the percentage of inflammatory proteins present in the body. Chronic inflammation is also associated with slower healing and oxidative stress is linked to complications with certain vital organs in the long term.
Apart from helping with reducing inflammation, boosting immune responses, and facilitating cell growth and repair, zinc is also crucial when it comes to speeding up the process of wound healing. This is in part due to the role zinc plays in collagen synthesis.
Apart from those mentioned above, zinc offers several other benefits which are listed here.
By reducing oxidative stress and ensuring healthy cell development and division as well as due to its anti-inflammatory properties, zinc helps better maintain the body in the long term.
By mitigating stress on the body’s immune system and other functions, zinc helps us avoid several age-related complications further along the line.
Zinc benefits the skin primarily due to the fact that it helps with collagen synthesis and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Zinc helps scars on the skin heal quicker and is even associated with the treatment of chronic acne as well as eczema.
In fact,zinc supplements for acne are often recommended to teens struggling with the problem.
Zinc is also known to be an important element when it comes to male reproductive functions. According to somesources, zinc is helpful when it comes to treating erectile disfunction and is also recommended to men with a low sperm count.
Like with the male reproductive system,sources also suggest that zinc is also helpful when it comes to supporting the female reproductive system. Apart from nourishing the female reproductive system and contributing to hormone balance, zinc is also sometimes recommended in the treatment of polycystic ovaries.
After having skimmed through the information above, you probably have a clearer sense with regards to why zinc is essential when it comes to physical wellness and healthy living. For those of you who may be wondering how you can tell if you are suffering from a zinc deficiency, here are some common symptoms:
If unchecked or unaddressed a zinc deficiency can be quite dangerous, resulting in the problems above as well as in long term health complications. Further, a chronic zinc deficiency will result in increased strain on the body which in turn could damage vital organs such as the heart.
Before moving to what one can do to increase their body’s zinc levels, let’s be clear on how much zinc we actually need. The good news is; you don’t really need massive amounts of zinc to facilitate the processes mentioned earlier. The recommended daily intake(s) as per bothHarvard and theNIH (National Institutes of Health) are:
Where some of us may be able to absorb the zinc we need through our daily diets, this isn’t the case for most people. The big question is, if you aren’t getting enough zinc in your diet, what can you do?
If you’re someone who might require supplements for the lack of zinc in your diet, check out our premium Zinc Oxide/Citrate Supplement. It supports the immune system, improves reproductive function, and helps enhance energy levels:
If you’re someone who feels they may be suffering from a zinc deficiency, check with your doctor, and consider supplementing the lack of zinc in your diet.
It helps to make little adjustments in the short term, whether these are to our diets, our routines, or even the way we think – so we can live better, longer, and healthier lives!
