Zinc Works For a Lot of Health Aspects: But Not Your Sperm Count

Zinc is potent micronutrient that we need for general wellness, your thinking processes, as well as fertility and gyno health. It's been in the news again as it was reported in JAMA that a new study tried to look at zinc supplementation for improving sperm count, and found that it sadly did not work.

Zinc is a trace mineral, also called trace element, widely available in meat and plant sources. It has long been known that antioxidant nutrition has benefits against cancer and heart disease. Because the zinc is harder for us to chemically extract from vegetarian food sources there is lower bioavailability in plant sources. In other words, having lower bioavaibility means, its there in your food, but you just can't extract it. Vegetarians and vegans are urged to get approximately 50% more zinc from supplements than those who do eat meat. In fact your zinc blood levels will vary depending upon how much meat you do eat. Fish sources have zinc too, and oysters are among the best way to get zinc into your diet.

Zinc for Moms.

In pregnancy mom's zinc levels have direct health effects on the fetus of being deficient in zinc has been known for over 50 years and some famous studies of dwarfism in Iran had been traced to zinc deficiencies.

Zinc for Metabolism and Repair

Zinc is necessary for the function of dozens of our body's metabolic enzyme systems; it is important for our immune system, the repair of DNA and for wound healing. Over 70 enzyme systems need zinc for proper function. It is linked to skin disease, poor sense of smell, inability to taste as well, infertility, thought processes, and poor resistance to infection. It may be a cause of hair growth cycle disturbances. So when testing

Zinc for Your Skin

For those getting cosmetic treatments getting the right amount of zinc in your diet will help you heal more quickly and help enhance the way your products are working for your skin’s protection. Sun screens and cosmetics with zinc can help your skin be less irritated and less dry or flaky. If you have had diarrhea your skin can be listless for a variety of reasons: low fluid levels, too little magnesium and potassium in your system due to the loss during diarrhea, and low zinc can be responsible for the symptoms of being pale as well.

Too Much Fiber, Iron or the Wrong Gut Bacteria will Compromise Zinc Levels

Many of us try to increase fiber in our diet which is generally beneficial for your health, that actually can be detrimental. Since zinc is absorbed in the small intestine too much fiber can oddly bind up your zinc and you can suddenly have a zinc deficiency you did not have before. For instance too much zinc can be both toxic and compromise the amount of copper, another trace mineral, in your body. Too much iron can also affect how we absorb zinc from our intestinal track. Microbiologic imbalances to gut microbiome can interfere with these mineral levels Discussing these issues with your gyno, boils down to a basic diet analysis.

Zinc for Bone Health

Zinc reversed hormone related bone loss in rats. Calcium with trace minerals is better than calcium alone. Because that improves the bone antioxidant defenses. And with this improved anxtioxidant defense is improved bone architecture. So a DXA with proper bone structure analysis is important.

Zinc and Iron Harmony

Both iron and zinc insufficiency have been studied relative to changes in mood and thought processing. Seven out of ten major studies found improvements in aspects of mood and cognition after iron supplementation. Iron supplementation appeared to improve memory and intellectual ability in participants aged between 12 and 55 years in seven studies, regardless of whether the participant was initially iron insufficient or suffering from iron-deficiency anemia.

Zinc, Selenium, and Oral Contraception

Selenium is usually from plant sources, especially cereals, but the soil they are grown in affects their content significantly. In our country the high plain grown cereals have the highest selenium concentrations. The July issue of Contraception (80:(2009): 40-43) was a study authored by a group of Iranian physicians who studied the effects of your contraceptive pills on a woman's blood selenium and zinc levels. They looked at this as earlier studies seemed to indicate that our trace metal levels might be altered by the use of hormonal contraceptives. They found like other studies that zinc levels were significantly and selenium levels were slightly lowered by the use of oral contraceptive pills in their healthy users. While this might be more relevant to a Middle Eastern or halal diet all oral contraceptive pill users may want to consider trace elements when balancing their diets.

For testing, evaluation, and consultation regarding your levels of zinc, selenium or other nutrients, call WHP Wellness at 217-356-3736 for an appointment.

Depression improved in patients supplemented with zinc as well.