Minerals are substances that your body requires for optimum health, as your body needs them to perform many different jobs. Minerals include trace minerals, which you only need in small amounts, and macrominerals, which you need in larger amounts. Zinc is a trace mineral, that next to iron, is the most prevalent trace mineral in your body, found in every cell.
Zinc
Zinc is required for your immune system to function properly, and because of this it is found in many lozenges and over-the-counter cold medications. It is important for your senses of smell, taste and vision to function properly, helps to support growth and development, and plays an important role in reproduction, blood clotting, insulin and thyroid function, as well as proper neurological function. Zinc has antioxidant properties, meaning that it helps to protect your body from free radical damage. More than 100 enzymes require zinc to catalyze necessary vital chemical reactions. Your body has no storage system for zinc, therefore a steady supply is needed.
RDAs and ULs
The recommended dietary allowances, RDAs, is the amount you should have for optimum health. In adult men, the RDA is 11 mg a day, and that amount remains consistent from age 19 on. In adult women, the RDA is 8 mg a day, though this changes in the case of pregnancy and lactation, to 11 mg a day and 12 mg a day respectively. The tolerable upper intake levels, ULs, is the maximum amount that is consider safe to take without adverse health effects, and this amount has been established as 40 mg a day in all individuals over the age of 19.
Zinc Deficiency
Symptoms of zinc deficiency include slow growth, problems with the senses of taste, smell and vision, frequent infections due to an impaired immune function, poor appetite, diarrhea, hair loss, delayed sexual maturation, impotence, mental lethargy, hypogonadism in males, skin rashes, and weight loss. Individuals at risk of zinc deficiency include strict vegetarians, pregnant and lactating women, infants and children, adults over the age of 65, and individuals who have severe persistence diarrhea, malabsorption disorders like celiac disease, alcoholic liver disease, inflamed bowel disease, malnutrition, and those who are fed intravenously.
Sources of Zinc
Oysters contain the highest amount of zinc per serving of any food, though the most common source of zinc in the American diet is red meat and poultry. Other foods high in zinc include beans, nuts, eggs, whole grains, dairy products and fortified breakfast cereals. The bioavailabillity of plant sources of zinc is less than that of animal sources, due to their high content of phyates, which bind to the zinc, preventing its absorption. Before considering zinc supplementation, seek the advice of your health care provider. Side effects of zinc supplements can include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, metallic taste, kidney and liver damage, and in very high doses coughing, fever, stomach pain and fatigue.
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