What Is Zinc Good For?

What is zinc good for? Zinc is an essential nutrient your body needs but it is important to know that your body can’t produce or store it. Most people don’t know that Zinc is found in a variety of plant and animal foods.

What is zinc good for? iStock-photo credit: bit245

Some of the foods that are highest in zinc are:

• Beef, Chicken, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey.
• Chickpeas, black beans, lentils, kidney beans, etc.
• Oats, brown rice, quinoa, etc.
• Asparagus, peas, broccoli, kale, mushrooms, etc.

Some of the health benefits of zinc is it can help boost your immune system. Several research studies show that 80 to 92 milligrams per day of zinc may reduce the length of a common cold by up to 33%.

What a lot of people don’t know is zinc is used in hospitals to treat wounds, burns, ulcers, skin injuries, etc. 5% of the zinc content in your body is in your skin. There was a 12-week study in 60 people that had diabetic food cancers that were treated with 50 grams of zinc per day. They experienced reductions in ulcers in comparison to the placebo group.

Studies have shown that zinc can decrease oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause chronic inflammation and one of those factors can lead to heart disease, cancer, mental decline, etc. A 2010 research study in 40 older adults took 45 grams of zinc per day and they experienced higher reductions in inflammatory markers than a placebo group.

Zinc deficiency can increase your infection, negatively impact your immune system, etc. The people that are at risk of zinc deficiency are:

• Vegetarians and Vegans
• People with sickle anemia
• People with chronic kidney disease
• People with alcoholic disorder
• People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• People that are malnourished or that have anorexia.

Some of the common symptoms of zinc deficiency are diarrhea, fertility issues, dry skin, thinning hair, etc.

One of the more common causes of zinc toxicity is too much supplemental zinc. Symptoms of zinc toxicity are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches, vomiting, cramps, etc.

The recommended daily amount of zinc is 11 mg for adult males and 8 mg for adult females. And pregnant and breastfeeding women should take about 11 to 12 mg daily.

The Bottom Line is some of the health benefits of zinc is better immunity, an effective way to treat wounds, reducing oxidative stress which can lower chronic health diseases.

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References

1. NIH- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/
2. Institute of Medicine (US) Panel on Micronutrients. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2001. 12, Zinc. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222317/
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4. USDA- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/?component=1095
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8. Bao B, Prasad AS, Beck FW, Fitzgerald JT, Snell D, Bao GW, Singh T, Cardozo LJ. Zinc decreases C-reactive protein, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory cytokines in elderly subjects: a potential implication of zinc as an atheroprotective agent. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;91(6):1634-41. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28836. Epub 2010 Apr 28. PMID: 20427734; PMCID: PMC2869512.
9. Lin PH, Sermersheim M, Li H, Lee PHU, Steinberg SM, Ma J. Zinc in Wound Healing Modulation. Nutrients. 2017 Dec 24;10(1):16. doi: 10.3390/nu10010016. PMID: 29295546; PMCID: PMC5793244.
10. Hemilä H. Zinc lozenges and the common cold: a meta-analysis comparing zinc acetate and zinc gluconate, and the role of zinc dosage. JRSM Open. 2017 May 2;8(5):2054270417694291. doi: 10.1177/2054270417694291. PMID: 28515951; PMCID: PMC5418896.
11. Maxfield L, Shukla S, Crane JS. Zinc Deficiency. [Updated 2023 Jun 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493231/