ZINC

Anyone who knows me knows I am a zinc freak. I wouldn’t be without it.

I must apologize as I just reread this article and it is wordy and at times goes off in a tangent, ( I am passion fueled and expository challenged).

Minerals are one of the first things I check for when consulting a client.
 I have them get an inexpensive hair analysis which indicates all the levels of deficient vitamins, minerals, and quantities of heavy metals that have accumulated in your tissues. Without knowing a cause of illness, it is often impossible to treat. The National Institute of Health’s official recommended dietary allowance of zinc is only 11 mg for adult males and 8 mg for adult females.
These recommendations are incredibly low, to say the least, for this mineral powerhouse that we have depleted in our soil and is one of the most deficient minerals in our bodies.

The RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) and RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) numbers are a statistical estimate of the amounts that prevent individuals from demonstrating deficiency signs and symptoms. Actually optimum levels are generally higher, sometimes much higher.

However, too much zinc will interfere with your bodies ability to absorb other minerals and will eventually affect the balance and proper ratios to other important nutrients that may include iron, calcium, selenium, nickel, phosphorus, copper, as well as Vitamin A, B1, C, and others.

Wayne State University School of Medicine recent research reveals:

Zinc helps maintain healthy vision and reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration

Zinc inhibits abnormal blood clotting that contributes to heart disease

Zinc has been shown to help prevent pneumonia

Zinc enhances the immune system

Zinc is one of the key nutrients needed for DNA reproduction and repair

Zinc stimulates taste and smell

Unfortunately, zinc deficiency is common among those who are past their mid-50s. But research shows that oxidative stress and risk of infections may be reduced with just the right amount of zinc intake. Poor appetite is one potential sign of zinc deficiency. Because zinc is involved in the growth and development of taste buds, deficiency reduces taste and a poor appetite. Zinc deficient individuals also tend to find protein disagreeable, compounding their problem. In female athletes zinc deficiency can result in menstrual cycle irregularities, amenorrhoea, and osteoporosis.

Zinc Study
There was a study done about 20 years ago with 100 test subjects who had terrible colds. They administered Vitamin C to all subjects. The colds, which naturally have a 10-12 day cycle seemed to be gone in 7  days with Vitamin C supplementation. Another test group of 100 people with colds received the allocated Vitamin C with an addition of Zinc.
Those test subjects colds went away in 5 days. Remarkable considering the only addition was zinc, no dietary change. One woman could not swallow the zinc and she dissolved it in her mouth. Her cold went away in 3 days. There now was reason to test sublingual zinc, as it is absorbed more readily into the bloddstream in conjunction with Vitamin C. Lozenges with Zinc and Vitamin C began showing up on the health Food store shelves with rave reviews. Now many lozenges include Zinc and powerhouses like Elderberry, Slippery Elm and other herbal supplements.
The 3 day miracle zinc lozenges were found to best be administered by dissolving one lozenge in your mouth at the onset of your cold.
10 minutes later dissolve another lozenge in your mouth.
 Do this 3x a day for 3 days. Most lozenges will have from 5-15mgs of zinc per lozenge.

ZINC TEST

A simple taste test was developed and reported in The Lancet in the 1980‘s.

To create a test solution, dissolve zinc sulfate (available at health some food stores and your local pharmacy) in a base of distilled water to 0.1 percent strength. You should refrain from eating, drinking, or smoking for at least an hour before the test, then place about a teaspoon of the solution in your mouth and swish it around for 10 seconds. If it tastes unpleasant or metallic, your level of zinc is probably adequate. However, if the solution tastes like water, you may be receiving less zinc than you need

Zinc deficiency is one of the minerals found to be a marker in Prostate Cancer sufferers, and if you look in most prostate formulas, it is the first and highest dosed ingredient in the complex. Zinc deficiency leads to impaired cognitive function, behavioral problems, impaired memory, learning disability and neuronal atrophy (2). Skin problems become more frequent as the child grows older. Alopecia (hair loss), growth retardation and recurrent infections are common in school-age children. Chronic non-healing skin ulcers and recurrent infections are common among the elderly. These effects are derived from controlled clinical trials showing positive response to supplemental zinc.

It should be noted that not all zinc supplements are alike, many companies have more bio-available sources than others. Many times a 75mg dosage of zinc will only amount to 35mg of absorption. A bio-available dosage may be only 20mg, but can have a guaranteed absorption of the entirety. Also many supplements have an abundance of inert ingredients, or, no ingredients at all, (that’s for another article!) High Quality tested supplements are the only ones I recommend to clients that have proven quality standards met in all QC areas.

Don’t even think of getting a deal at Walmart or CVS, and I would strongly suggest not entertaining the idea of GNC. Many companies are purchasing private label rights for supplements that are all created in the same factory, doing periodic lot testing, at best. Then they slap on a generic really pretty private label and you think your getting something special.

Not the case.

Question and educate yourself on everything you put On and In your body.

Don’t mess with synthetics.

You are more valuable than that.