5 Benefits of Zinc Supplements You Should Know About

Zinc is a trace mineral that, even though needed in only small amounts, is essential for the proper function of the human organism. It holds a vital role in many crucial biochemical processes in our body, including DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, stabilization of the cell membranes, spermatogenesis, embryogenesis, fetal growth, and decreasing the free radical formation.

According to the Mayo Clinic guidelines, a daily intake of 11mg of zinc for adult men and 8mg for adult women is needed for maintaining overall health. This dosage can usually be reached by eating a rich and various diet, including red meat, chicken, seafood, dairy products, peas and beans.

The richest treasury of zinc is found in oysters, with a whopping 74.1 milligrams of zinc in a 3-ounce serving of cooked, breaded and fried oysters.  

Depriving your body of this precious mineral will have devastating consequences, its deficiency resulting in slower growth, weak immune system function, delayed sexual maturity, diarrhoea, eye and skin lesions, hair loss, anorexia and poor wound healing. Furthermore, hypogonadism caused by zinc deficiency can cause impotence in men.

Keep in mind that zinc deficiency may not be your fault at all; apart from low dietary intake, it can be caused by impaired absorption processes in your body, by excess amounts of zinc being lost due to diarrhoea, or by a state of increased demand, such as pregnancy and lactation.

If you are experiencing symptoms and signs that match those of zinc deficiency, it may be wise to reevaluate your diet and include a zinc supplement, such as Viridian Zinc Citrate. This supplement provides zinc in its Citrate form, a potent and absorbable source bound with citric acid to make it stable. Zinc citrate boosts the normal operation of the immune system, helping the body fight off pathogens. It is also crucial for maintaining normal hair, skin and nails, and bone strength and normal vision. Always remember that your daily zinc intake should not exceed 40 milligrams!

Here are 5 Benefits of Zinc Supplements you should know about

IMMUNE SYSTEM REGULATION

In our immune system, zinc acts as a policeman, overseeing and regulating its actions. In the case of zinc deficiency, infections may spiral out of control due to the unhinged inflammatory response, resulting in conditions such as sepsis. On the other hand, if you happen to take too much zinc, your T and B cells will become overly suppressed, leaving your body unable to fight infections.

Zinc is crucial for the normal development and function of neutrophils, and NK (natural killer) cells and the function of T cells. Zinc also takes part in the DNA and RNA formation mechanism, and it is needed for their production. Apart from that, zinc is a potent antioxidant that stabilizes the cell membranes, which keeps our immune cells strong and healthy.

KEEPING YOUR CHILD HEALTHY

WHO states that maternal zinc deficiency may impact infant development and lead to complications during birth. It has been suggested that zinc supplementation may lower the risk of premature births by keeping the mother more resistant to various infections.

Early zinc supplementation in infants small for their gestational age effectively improves their growth and reduces mortality. A double-blind, randomized control trial indicated that zinc supplementation had significantly enhanced the linear growth of school-aged children.

A recent meta-analysis of the zinc supplement benefits showed a highly statistically significant positive impact on children's growth and weight gain.

DIARRHEA TREATMENT

Benefits of zinc supplementation in the treatment of diarrhoea have been established and accepted. Since our body lacks a specific zinc-storage system, conditions such as diarrhoea can cause a significant loss of this mineral. Current guidelines for the clinical management of acute diarrhoea include the usage of oral rehydration salts and routine use of zinc supplementation.

Zinc supplementation shortens the duration and severity of diarrheal episodes and maintains the gastrointestinal system's health by reducing the risk of gastrointestinal infection. Furthermore, it aids rehydration therapy by supporting the effective intestinal transport of water and electrolytes. A large randomized trial conducted in Bangladesh has shown that zinc effectively prevents diarrhoea and diarrhoea-related mortality.

WOUND HEALING ACCELERATION

Over 3000 proteins in the human organism are dependent on zinc. One of them is matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP), a protein crucial in wound healing.

The connection between zinc deficiency and delayed wound healing has been established, and it has been found that zinc supplementation improves wound healing.  Patients lacking in zinc have suffered from decreased collagen synthesis, slower epithelialization rate and reduced immunity. All of these factors contribute to a delayed and more complicated wound healing process!

Zinc plays a crucial role in regulating every phase of the wound healing process; membrane repair, oxidative stress reduction, coagulation, immune defence, re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, and scar formation.

Zinc supplement benefits have been recognized in burn treatment, which led to a standardization of severe burn care regimen that includes daily dietary zinc supplements of 22 milligrams or higher.

Furthermore, using zinc supplements in your diet will speed up the oral mucosa wound healing, thus improving your periodontal health and preventing possible infections.

CHRONIC DISEASES PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT

In a broad range of chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, certain kinds of malignancies, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases and age-related degenerative diseases, zinc deficiency could complicate the clinical presentation, increase oxidative stress and lead to the generation and activation of inflammatory cytokines.

Low concentration of zinc may increase the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Atherogenesis is an event primarily induced by lipid peroxidation. Since the free radicals precipitate that process, the antioxidative properties of the zinc ions play an essential role in keeping your blood vessels healthy and unclogged.

A growing body of evidence shows that zinc is immensely valuable in maintaining one's neurological health.  Learning and memory depend on healthy neurogenesis and the survival of neurons, which, in turn, can be affected by the zinc levels. Zinc deficiency is a risk factor for depression, Alzheimer's disease and more rapid brain ageing.

Spinal cord and brain are abundant with zinc. There has been evidence that zinc interacts with NMDA receptors in the central nervous system, which may help in alleviating pain in chronic pain conditions.