November 26, 2020
Oh dear, It’s flu season again and the winter is around the corner. You may have heard it through the grapevine about some of the benefits of zinc and combating the flu. Zinc, in all truth, is so much more than being a simple aid to your sniffles and flu sorrows. What you may not have heard is that this trace element is vitally important to overall health and well being. When I say vital, I only mean that it is only involved in over 300 different enzyme functions throughout the body! That is totally not all it is also capable of. Here are some of the other reasons why you should not only consider supplementing your body with added zinc during flu season but to make it standard practice in your normal life. Trust me, your body will love you.
DNA and RNA synthesis
That’s right, it helps create and maintain what makes you, well, you. Your DNA is like the blueprint of the greatest engineering marvel ever create, you. Your RNA is almost like your own personal management team that extracts information from the DNA and relays that to the rest of the workers around your body. Make sure the correct messages are getting sent and interpreted by ensuring you are topped up on zinc.
Wound Healing
Got a cut, no problem! Zinc has been shown time and time again to enhance wound recovery after surgery. Burns can also get cleared up too! This is likely due to the capabilities of zinc’s function with synthesizing DNA.
Protein Formation
Zinc plays a crucial structural role in forming proteins. These proteins can be used as building blocks for various cells of the body. Some of these proteins can even enhance and maintain your immune system.
Skin Problems
For those who suffer acne or even dermatitis, zinc can aid in clearing up these conditions which can help improve your self-confidence and image. Not only these, but zinc has been known to help clear up bedsores and even boils as well. Zinc is also used for collagen formation which will help stave off wrinkles and make you look younger for years to come. Psoriasis has also been shown to clear up in some cases with zinc supplementation.
Fertility
Zinc aids in sexual development during puberty years and helps stave off sterility in later years. It is associated with maintaining a healthy testosterone level and sperm count in men. Sexual function can be better maintained with proper zinc levels in the body.
Immune System
As we talked briefly about in the intro, there is evidence to support the potential effects of zinc on the flu/common cold. It has been shown to increase T lymphocyte production as well as the functionality of white blood cells. With its capabilities to aid in the formation of proteins, some of these proteins can also be utilized in the maintaining of proper immune system function.
When it comes to getting enough zinc in your diet, one can usually turn to animal sources and vegetable sources for their requirements. Red meat, liver, eggs and dairy sources tend to be higher in zinc. This, however, depends on if zinc was in the soil of the feed for which the animals were raised on. Zinc can come from broccoli spinach, mushrooms, garlic, or even Kale too! Supplementation is an option as well as zinc is somewhat becoming depleted in most farming soils these days due to increased demands on food production. The RDA for zinc tends to be 11mg/day for adult males and 8mg/day for adult females. When supplementing, taking an amino-acid-chelated form of zinc will be better absorbed by the body. Typically between 12% and 59% of zinc is normally absorbed from your diet, therefore supplementation is generally a good idea throughout most stages of life.
