The body requires the mineral zinc to maintain health. However, because the body does not store zinc, daily replacement of the essential nutrient is required. Zinc plays a critical role in normal growth and development during pregnancy and throughout childhood. Zinc plays many important roles in the functioning of the body's nervous system. The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. The nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system. The nervous system, which is the body's operating system, is responsible for sending, receiving and carrying out instructions between the brain and the rest of the body.
Brain Health
The brain requires zinc to function properly and to prevent neurological diseases, according to a study performed at the University of Shizuoka, Japan. Zinc serves as a type of protein for the brain's neurons and glial cells. Neurons are the brain's primary communication unit. Glial cells support the network of neurons in the brain. Zinc deficiency results in brain dysfunctions which can cause learning disabilities and affect the sense of smell.
Memory, Emotion and Neurotransmission
The hippocampus, described in the University of Shizuoka study as a zinc-enriched region of the brain, is responsible for emotions and for converting information into memory. The hippocampus is important to understanding diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's and some mental illnesses. In fact, a deficiency of zinc in the brain can increase a person's susceptibility to epileptic seizures. Studies suggest that zinc regulates neurotransmission across the synapses in the brain, the process by which communication occurs between the brain and the body, according. Nerves are important to the transmission of messages along within and between neurons.
Recommended Daily Allowance
The USDA recommended daily allowance, or RDA, varies based on age, gender and other considerations. The zinc RDA for adults 19 years of age and older is 11 mg for males and 8 mg for females, 11 mg for pregnant women and 12 mg for lactating women. Zinc deficiency can cause serious problems with health and with growth and development. Vegetarians, alcoholics, people with specific medical conditions and women who are pregnant or lactating are at increased risk for zinc deficiency.
Sources
Zinc is naturally present in some foods and is added to other foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, does not require manufacturers to list zinc content on food nutrition labels unless zinc has been added to the food. Oysters, which have 76.7 mg of zinc per serving, have the highest per-serving level of zinc among all foods. Other foods that are high in zinc include lobster, crab, beans, cashews, raisin bran and other ready-to-eat fortified cereals, beef and poultry, yogurt, chickpeas and milk. Zinc is available as a dietary supplement and in many over-the-counter cold medications..
References
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Zinc
- Oracle Think Quest: The Nervous System
- "Biometals"; Zinc Homeostasis and Functions of Zinc in the Brain; A. Takeda; September to December 2001
- National Institutes of Health: Information About the Brain
- Psycheducation.org: Memory, Learning and Emotion: The Hippocampus; Jim Phelps, M.D.
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