Zinc is one of the most important minerals for your body as it helps regulate many
body functions and keeps you fit and healthy. When you consume less zinc, you are
at risk of getting colds and flu. It also plays an important part in the immune system
and helps in cell division. This mineral is found in every cell of your body but these
levels start falling, as your body gets older. Zinc also has a number of antioxidants
that protect he body from diseases and keep your skin, hair and nails healthy. When
your body does not get the required zinc levels, the condition of your heart also
declines and puts you at risk of cardiovascular disease.
What Your Doctor Won’t Tell Youabout Zinc and How It Can Save You
How much zinc is required on a daily basis?
Even though zinc is found in every cell in the body, this is still not sufficient to keep
you healthy. Your body is only able to absorb around 20 to 40 per cent of the zinc
from food items. It is better to consume more animalbased products as the zinc is
absorbed better and the protein helps in faster absorption. The required daily intake
of zinc formen is 11 milligrams (mg) every day and for women it is 8 mg per day.
Pregnant and lactating women must consume 3 extra milligrams of zinc.
The required daily intake of zinc for children who are in the age group of 4 to 8 years
is 5 mg while for those who are in the age group of 9 to 13 years it is 8 mg. Infants
need just about 3 milligrams of zinc per day. People with diseases like alcoholism,
Cirrhosis (liver disease), kidney disease, Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel
diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are likely to have a zinc
deficiency and may need extra milligrams of zinc in their diet.
How does zinc affect your heart’s health?
Calcium is generally released in your body through type2 ryanodine receptors
(RyR2), and these need to be regulated or else it may result in heart failure and
arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats. Zinc is important for your heart as it helps control
this release of calcium in your body and its movement in the heart cells. This is
because this mineral works in collaboration with the RyR2 and modulates the
amount of calcium that is released, and maintains it at the required level.
Zinc also helps prevent the death of cells in the heart tissue and keeps the heartbeat
normal. Studies have shown that majority of people with heart diseases have a zinc
deficiency. Thus, it is very important to maintain the required levelsbenefits of zinc in
the body to keep your heart healthy and fit.
Best sources to get zinc
Animal products are definitely the best way to make sure that your body gets the
required daily intake of zinc. Eating oysters is the most beneficial as you get about
182 milligrams of zinc in every serving. You can also try consuming grassfed beef
as you get around 1 milligram of zinc per ounce. You can also get a good amount of
zinc from other animalbased foods like raw cheese like Gouda and Swiss, beans,
pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, poultry, seafood, shellfish, yoghurt, and raw milk
kefir. If you are a vegetarian, you can grow seeds and let them sprout to get the most
zinc out of them.Generally, it is best to avoid zinc supplements as this can create
excess zinc in the body and affect absorption of other minerals in the body.
Other benefits of zinc
Zinc has over 300 different enzymes that not only benefits the heart but also
improves other parts of your body and regulates many functions like:
Immune system
Zinc helps regulate the immune system as it affects the antibody production,
neutrophils, phagocytosis, natural killer cells, gene regulation in your white blood
cells and cytokine production. When your body doesn’t get the right amount of zinc,
your immune system can get affected in about four weeks. Consuming a few zinc
lozenges can help prevent as well as get rid of a cough and cold.
Keeps eyes healthy
This mineral also collaborates with Vitamin A in your eyes, helps it become more
sensitive to light, and ensures better communication with the brain via nerve
impulses.
Prevents Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s occurs when there is a severe clumping of proteins in the brain and thus
affects the thought process. Zinc is one mineral that can prevent the clumping of
these proteins and thus helps keep Alzheimer’s at bay.
Sensory organs
A diet that is lacking in zinc also helps you lose control over your sensory organs and
you are unable to smell or taste. This is because this mineral creates the enzyme
carbonic anhydrase (CA) VI that helps you to taste and smell. Majority of the older
generation that has difficulty in tasting or smelling things are suffering from a zinc
deficiency.
Reproductive health
Zinc also helps men regulate their sperm quantity and quality and thus maintains
their reproductive health. Therefore, a diet rich in zinc is necessary to ensure
increased fertility.
Attention deficit disorder
Children suffering from an attention disorder have been shown to have a zinc
deficiency. Zinc can prevent impaired socialization, hyperactivity and impulsivity to a
large extent and keeps the mind focused and in full control.
Thus, you can see that zinc is one mineral that is highly essential for the body as it
not regulates your heartbeat and keeps your heart healthy, but also helps maintain
your immune system as well. Zinc has also been shown to keep your eyes healthy,
prevent Alzheimer’s, keep the mind more focused, improve reproductive functions,
and heighten sensory organs. But don’t overdose on zinc supplements or you could
cause more severe health problems in your body. It is best to stick to an animal
based diet where you will get the required daily intake of zinc and will keep you and
your body healthy…….Read More
Source URL : http://www.cocomagic.co/blog/whatyourdoctorwonttellyou
aboutzincandhowitcansaveyou/
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