The Health Benefits of Zinc

by Toluwani Oyesola April 1, 2022

It is an externally derived nutrient that plays a lot of vital roles in the body. As it is an essential nutrient, the body does not have the capacity to produce or store it.

Sources of Zinc

Zinc is a nutrient that can be found naturally in some plant and animal foods. Sometimes, synthetic forms of zinc are fortified into foods that do not naturally contain zinc.

Food that are naturally high in zinc includes;

Shellfish such as Oysters, Crab, Mussels, Lobster and Clams.

Poultry such as Turkey and Chicken.

Meat such as Beef, Pork, Lamb and Bison.

Fish such as Flounder, Sardines, Salmon and Sole.

Nuts and Seeds such as Pumpkin seeds, cashews and hemp seeds.

Legumes such as Chick peas, lentils, black beans and kidney beans.

Diary products such as Milk, yogurt and cheese.

Whole grains such as Oats, Quinoa and Brown rice.

Vegetable such as Kale, Pease, Mushrooms, Asparagus and Beet greens, And

Eggs.

Recommended Daily Intake of Zinc

The recommended dosage of zinc varies for each group.

For men: 11mg daily.

For Women: 8mg daily.

For Pregnant Women: 11 and 12mg daily.

These can be easily gotten from proper healthy diet.

Benefits Zinc Offers The Body

It helps to aid gene expression.

It promotes enzymatic reactions.

It helps to strengthen the immune system of the body and reduce risks of developing certain diseases such as pneumonia.

It plays a role in the synthesis of protein and DNA.

It can promote faster wound healing.

It helps to facilitate growth and development.

It may help to treat acne by reducing inflammation.

It helps to decrease oxidative stress and reduce the levels of some inflammatory proteins in the body.

What Happens When There is Too Much in The Body

Zinc toxicity can cause negative side effects to the body and is mainly caused by consuming too much supplemental zinc.

Symptoms of Zinc Toxicity Includes:

Nausea and Vomiting

Diarrhoea

Abdominal Cramps

Headaches

Reduced Immune Function

Decreased level of HDL (good) cholesterol and

Loss of appetite.

Chronic Toxicity can cause low absorption of copper and iron.

Signs of Deficiency in Zinc

Although severe deficiency is rare, it can still occur in people with rare genetic mutations or infants that are exclusively breast fed by mothers with low zinc levels.

Some of the symptoms of severe deficiency are:

Impaired growth and development of the body.

Delay in sexual maturity.

Severe skin rashes.

Chronic Diarrhoea,

Impaired wound healing and

Behavioural issues.

Symptoms of Mild Deficiency are:

Diarrhoea,

Low immunity,

Thinning of the Hair,

Loss of appetite,

Mood Swings,

Dry Skin And

Slow healing of wounds.

What can cause Zinc Deficiency

Malnutrition as a result of poor absorption or inadequate dietary intake.

Over consumption of alcohol.

Genetic Mutations and

Old Age.

Everybody needs to have a healthy amount of zinc in their system for the body to function properly. If you don't already have zinc in your diet regularly, then you should consider eating more food that contain zinc as the body requires a constant supply.