| Answer: | Zinc is one of the most important minerals for health, yet a large part of the population is at risk of being deficient - half of us eat less than 50 per cent of the RDA. Symptoms of deficiency are white marks on the nails, a poor appetite or lack of appetite control, pallor, infertility, lack of resistance to infection, poor growth (including hair growth), skin problems such as acne, dermatitis and stretch marks, and mental and emotional problems. Zinc deficiency plays a role in nearly every major disease including diabetes and cancer: it is needed to make insulin, to boost the immune system and make the antioxidant enzyme SOD. Zinc also plays a part in the body' s manufacture of prostaglandins (hormone-like substances) from essential fatty acids, which help balance hormones, control inflammation and balance the stickiness of the blood. Sucking zinc lozenges can help to shorten the duration of a cold.
Meat is high in zinc, so you' re more likely to be deficient if you' re vegetarian. Stress, smoking and alcohol deplete zinc - as does frequent sex, at least in men, since semen has the highest concentration of zinc in the human body.
I recommend supplementing 10 to 15mg of zinc each day, in a more-absorbable form such as zinc ascorbate, glycinate or citrate. Zinc is somewhat better absorbed on an empty stomach, but can be mildly irritating in large amounts. Good food sources of zinc include oysters, lamb, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, oats, rye and egg yolks. |
