Articles ¬ The Source ¬ Zinc Supplementation

Zinc is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in North America. Zinc deficiency occurs more often in men and a common sign of deficiency is white spots on the finger nails.

Zinc is important in helping with fatigue, loss or taste or smell, male sterility or prostate disorders, herpes and can be useful for women with irregular menstrual cycles. Zinc is needed for proper adrenal gland function, enhances the absorption of vitamins C and E and can help improve immune and digestive function. Zinc increases the production of HDL, which is the type of cholesterol that helps the body deal with high levels of cholesterol that can cause harm. In addition, Zinc helps to decrease damage due to oxidation, therefore decreasing the risk of cancer and premature aging of the cells.

Zinc should be increased if you have diarrhea, kidney disease, cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, elevated levels of any toxic minerals such as lead or mercury or are an alcoholic. Both hard water and the fiber in foods can interfere with Zinc absorption, so watch your intake of these foods that are good sources of Zinc include Brewers and good tasting yeasts, beans, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, egg yolk, and animal products. The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, for Zinc is 15 milligrams daily for an adult. The RDA is the minimum amount that a person needs in their diet to avoid deficiency symptoms. If you are taking zinc in its supplement form, take with food to avoid possible nausea and use the citrate or chelated form.

Zinc works best in the body when accompanied by calcium, Phosphorus, and vitamin A. If you are supplementing higher amounts of Zinc, you should also supplement with Copper, Germanium and Calcium, as the increased levels of Zinc in your body may decrease these other minerals.

If you're currently on over 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 a day, it is recommended to supplement your Zinc intake.

Toxicity from Zinc can occur at doses over 100 milligrams a day. If you are using a dosage higher than this, it is advised to do so under the supervision of someone trained in nutrition. Symptoms of toxicity may include a depressed immune system.

top