Zinc is found in every cell of the human body. This trace mineral is essential for a wide range of functions, such as immune system, taste, vision and thyroid function. Zinc also has an important role in appetite regulation. Consult a qualified health care provider before adding zinc supplements to your health routine.
Low Zinc Levels
The human body only needs small amounts of zinc; eating a healthy diet and taking a multivitamin should provide the recommended daily allowance for adults of 8 to 11 mg, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Although serious zinc deficiencies are rare in industrialized regions, mild zinc deficiencies are very common in elderly people, reports the medical center. Low zinc levels also sometimes occur in people who consume large amounts of alcohol, who have malabsorption disorders such as Crohn's disease, and who eat very restricted diets.
Signs of Zinc Deficiency
Zinc deficiency has many possible symptoms, which include poor wound healing, eczema, psoriasis, acne, white spots on the fingernails, hair loss, depression and poor night vision. Zinc deficiency also can cause decreases in taste or smell, lack of appetite and weight loss. Zinc appears not to be an appetite suppressant, but an appetite stimulant.
Zinc as Appetite Stimulant
Because zinc appears to stimulate appetite, researchers have conducted numerous studies on zinc and anorexia, an eating disorder in which the individual has such an extreme fear of gaining weight that she keeps her diet at starvation levels. Some research shows that zinc supplements used with conventional medical treatments help anorexia patients gain weight, notes New York University's Langone Medical Center. In addition, the lack of appetite and weight loss involved in zinc deficiency resembles that of anorexia, prompting a theory that the onset of the disorder actually might be connected with low zinc levels.
Research
A study published in the April 1994 issue of the "International Journal of Eating Disorders" mentions that anorexia patients taking zinc supplements have experienced increased weight gain during open clinical trials, such as those that did not include a placebo. The current study compared a placebo group with a treatment group receiving 100 mg of zinc gluconate per day. The rate of increase in body mass index of the group taking zinc supplements was twice that of the group taking a placebo.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Zinc
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Anorexia Nervosa
- New York University Langone Medical Center: Eating Disorders
- "International Journal of Eating Disorders"; Controlled Trial of Zinc Supplementation in Anorexia Nervosa; C.L. Birmingham, et al.; April 1994
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