Health Benefits of Zinc
Zinc has numerous health benefits for your immune system and body. It’s an essential nutrient, meaning, your body can’t naturally produce or store it. A lack of Zinc in the body can make you more susceptible to disease and viruses. In order to get Zinc into your body you need to look to outside sources such as food and supplements. Below we have listed five amazing benefits that Zinc gives you!
Zinc helps many parts of your body function properly including, proper immune function, wound healing, proper growth and development, acne, memory, gene expression, protein synthesis and much more!
Zinc and Proper Immune Function
Zinc is an essential nutrient that helps your immune system function properly. Your body contains T cells which help your body attack infected or cancerous cells. T cells also help control and regulate immune responses. In order to activate these very important cells your body needs Zinc. Lack of Zinc in the body can severely impair how your immune system functions and attacks potentially harmful cells. Zinc supplements have been shown to stimulate important immune cells and reduce oxidative stress. Zinc supplements also reduce the risk of infections significantly.
Zinc and Wound Healing
Since Zinc plays a vital role in immune function, inflammatory response, and collagen synthesis, it’s extremely necessary in proper wound healing. It is commonly used to treat burns, ulcers, common colds, and skin injuries. Supplementing with Zinc can speed up recovery with wounds because your skin holds a high amount of your body’s zinc content. Therefore, having a sufficient amount of Zinc in your body can greatly impact how fast and well your wounds heal.
Zinc and Age-related Disease
Zinc has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of age-related diseases. Since zinc helps activate your T cells, relieve oxidative stress, and boost your natural killer cells, it ultimately helps reduce the risk of age-related disease and protect your body. Researchers say zinc supplements have been proven to reduce the risk of pneumonia, boost mental performance, decrease vision loss, and decrease infection rates in older adults by a significant amount of 66%.
Zinc and Acne
Acne affects an estimated 9.4% of the global population. In the United States alone, 50 million people are affected by acne. It’s a common skin disease that is caused by the obstruction of oil-producing glands and is driven by bacteria and inflammation. Studies suggest that treating acne with either topical or oral Zinc supplements reduce inflammation and bacteria and suppress oily gland activity. Many people with acne tend to have low levels of Zinc and should supplement to help reduce symptoms.
Zinc and Memory
We all know how important our memories are to us and our life. Having our neurons function properly affects how we learn and form memories. Researchers suggest that Zinc plays a critical role in regulating neurons and how they communicate with one another. Taking proper Zinc supplements can help you store your memories more efficiently and can affect how you form new ones.
Zinc Deficiency Symptoms
It’s estimated that around 2 billion people worldwide suffer from a zinc deficiency. Due to the fact that Zinc helps your immune system drastically, zinc deficiency has been linked to over 450,000 deaths in children under 5 ever year. Zinc deficiencies tend to occur when people have rare genetic mutations, are alcoholics, are taking immune-suppressing medication, have sickle cell anemia, have Crohn’s disease, have chronic kidney disease, have anorexia or bulimia, or are malnourished.
Symptoms of severe zinc deficiency can include impaired growth and development, skin rashes, chronic diarrhea, behavioral issues, and impaired wound healing.
Symptoms of mild zinc deficiency can include decreased immunity, thinning hair, fertility issues, decreased appetite, mood disturbances, diarrhea, dry skin, and impaired wound healing.
Getting a proper amount of zinc daily is critical in your overall health and body function.
Zinc Food Sources
There are several animal and plant foods rich in zinc, making it simple and easy for most people to get an adequate amount.
Some foods naturally rich in zinc include:
Shellfish, meat, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts and seeds, eggs, legumes, milk and cheese, whole grains, Kale, mushrooms, and more!
Your body absorbs zinc more efficiently when it’s derived from animal products like shellfish and meat. Zinc found in plant-based sources like whole grains and legumes are absorbed less efficiently because of other plant compounds that inhibit absorption.
Other ready to eat foods such as snack bars and cereals have a synthetic form of zinc in their products.
Whether you get your zinc from foods or supplements it’s important to make sure you’re absorbing enough so your body can function properly. Capsuline's empty capsules are perfect for making your own zinc supplements so you never have to worry about not getting enough!
This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.
