Kristi Whitley
Healthy Living
Zinc is a mineral found in meat, beans, seeds, and nuts.
Zinc is important in building bones, strengthening the immune system, maintaining sense of taste and smell, development of white blood cells, maintaining proper thyroid hormone function, maintaining healthy skin and curing acne, improving depression, and preventing infection.
Dr. Joel Furhman wrote that zinc is especially important for men because it is concentrated in the prostate and promotes death of cancer cells, possibly by suppressing the activity of inflammatory molecules. Long-term zinc supplementation is associated with reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer.
According to the National Institutes of Health, zinc deficiency in adults is characterized by an impaired immune response. In children, mental retardation and growth abnormalities can occur. Severe cases of deficiency may show signs of hair loss, diarrhea, delayed sexual maturation, impotence, hypogonadism in males, eye and skin lesions, weight loss, delayed healing of wounds, taste abnormalities, and mental lethargy.
If you have succumbed to seasonal allergies, or a “May Cold” as my aunt calls it, a virus or the flu this spring, you probably have a zinc deficiency. To shorten the duration of illness and help prevent the next one, to strengthen the immune system, and reduce all allergies, use a zinc supplement daily.
Zinc is best supplemented in combination with other minerals as to maintain a mineral balance and avoid toxicity. Dosages rage from 50-65 mg per day for short-term acute use as in the case of colds and flu. Take no more than 30 mg for daily use. I supplement most of my minerals separately and prefer Pure brand 30mg zinc capsules from naturalhealthyconcepts.com. A good combination mineral supplement is Trace Minerals by Thorne Research, also available at naturalhealthyconcepts.com.
All the best and gesundheit,
K
Zinc