How does Zinc help your body?-by Dr harold Gunatillake

Transcript:

Oysters first appeared on our planet 200 million years ago. People have been gathering them since prehistoric times and fossil traces prove that mankind has used them as a source of food since as far back as the Neolithic Age.

Oysters have by far the most zinc of any other food, with 74.1 milligrams in a 3-ounce serving of oysters that are cooked, breaded, and fried. That’s 673% of an average daily value. Another shellfish packed with zinc is crab.

Most of us do take supplements daily and the common ones are Magnesium, Vitamin B12 and vitamin D, including fish oil capsules.

When should you take zinc and what are the symptoms of zinc deficiency? That is what we are going to discuss today.

Zinc is an essential trace mineral and over two billion people world-wide are deficient due to abnormal zinc loss, inadequate dietary intake, other zinc deficiency causes including abnormal zinc loss, inadequate absorption, and impaired utilization.

Zinc is an essential trace element your body needs to function properly. It helps to reduce inflammation and promote healing of skin ulcers. It can reverse heart disease, and promote healthy cells in your body, and protects from damage due to free radicals that are formed in your body. Even exercising excessively produce free radicles.

Zinc is considered as an antioxidant because of its capability of neutralizing potentially dangerous free radicals produced in the body due to daily activities.

Zinc also increases the production of white blood cells that fight infection and increases the number of infection-fighting T cells.

When you have a zinc deficiently, you do not think about it. It can put you at risk from diseases like diabetes and infertility.

It is needed and found in every cell in your body, as it is necessary for replicating all the cell’s genetic material. It is involved in then production of 300 enzymes and lends a hand in hundreds of body processes, from wound healing to digestion.

Unfortunately, the bodies can’t make zinc and we should get bit in our diet.

If your sense of taste and smell disappears that could be the first symptoms that you have a zinc deficiency.

There is sufficient zinc in your chicken you eat, red meat and fortified cereals. Vegetarians can get their zinc from beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, walnuts, cashew nuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole meal bread and quinoa.

Many fruits we eat daily such as avocados, blackberries, pomegranates, raspberries, guavas, peaches, apricots, kiwi fruit and blue berries are all high ion zinc.

Eggs too contain a moderate amount of zinc and can help you meet your daily target.

As research from Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute points out, the zinc in foods like oysters, red meat and eggs is more bioavailable, meaning that your body can more readily absorb and use it. This is because animal proteins improve zinc absorption.

Bananas are the best zinc foods, but they do have a small amount.

Zinc from animal foods like red meat, fish and poultry is more readily absorbed by the body than zinc from plant foods.

Magnesium seem to assist your body in regulating zinc levels, but high intake of zinc can be detrimental to magnesium absorption

So, it is unlikely that we lack zinc as we take sufficient in your daily diet without your knowing.

But zinc deficiency can happen in people who have problems absorbing nutrients from the gut, especially among old people, and those who have chronic gut diseases.

Some medicines can also increase the loss of zinc through urine.

ACE inhibitors given for high blood pressure is one example. Other blood pressure tablets than can deplete zinc levels are ARBs, or angiotensin blockers, betablockers and calcium channel blockers -all given to control your blood pressure. Deficiency can also occur with diuretics for a long time.

The number of proteins in meal has a positive effect on zinc absorption, an example is that taking casein has a modest inhibitory effect on zinc absorption.

Some foods containing phytates present in whole-grain breads, cereals, legumes can bind zinc and inhibit its absorption.

When zinc is deficient in your body, your hair can drop. There are changes in your nails, you get frequent diarrhea, more infections, you may feel irritable, lose your appetite, impotence, eye problems and poor immune system.

If you suffer from skin eczema, with cracks and a glazed appearance, often seen around your mouth, you may have to see your doctor.

Childhood and adolescence growth could be sluggish

If you have any of these symptoms, please check your blood zinc level.

On the happier side, studies have revealed that in males taking zinc tends to effect on arousal and maintaining an erection.

The recommended dose for adult men is around 11 milligrams of zinc daily. There are 10 reasons why zinc is so important for men.

Zinc is called ‘the ultimate sex material’ by Men’s Health magazine. Zinc influences a man’s fertility as mentioned earlier, and long-term How does Zinc help your body?sex drive and sexual health.

Zinc is important for sperm production. With low volumes of semen and testosterone levels, the culprit could be zinc levels. In each ejaculation can expend uo to 5 milligrams of zinc, or almost half a man’s daily allowance.

Scientists at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan investigated the effects of zinc on testosterone levels in men between 20 and 80 years old. The study revealed that young men who restricted dietary zinc intake for 20 weeks experienced decreases in testosterone, while zinc-deficient elderly men taking zinc supplements for six months experienced increases in testosterone production.

Among women too studies have shown that zinc supplementation can improve testosterone levels and sexual function in postmenopausal women.

Zinc plays an important role in maintaining and improving prostate health. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the Agricultural Research Service (the research arm of the

U.S. Department of Agriculture) found that cancerous prostate tissue contains significantly less zinc than healthy organ tissue. While zinc is found in every organ, tissue, and cell in the human body, in males, the prostate has more zinc than any other tissue except bone.

If zinc supplement is taken in excess doses for many years doubles a male’s risk of prostate cancer.

The recommended daily allowance for men is 11 milligrams (for women it’s 8 milligrams)

Human beings cannot store zinc naturally, but we are fortunate that our daily diet supplies enough.

We have discussed the significance of zinc in the body and check on the levels with the presence of symptoms described earlier.

Hope this video talk will give you sufficient knowledge on the workings of zinc in your body.

Stay safe and goodbye for now.

Some reference to Marie Willsey, Brion O

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