What Are The Signs That You Have A Zinc Deficiency?
Staying healthy is a top priority for most people in Pittsburg, CA. Many supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals, which include vitamins A, B, D, and C, potassium, and zinc. During the pandemic, more people became aware of the importance of zinc for immune system functions. However, too much zinc can cause digestive issues, leave a bad taste in your mouth, negatively affect your cholesterol, reduce your copper absorption, and even impact your immune system negatively, which may be why you took it. Knowing the signs of a zinc deficiency and when to take it can help prevent that from occurring.
The body uses zinc to create new cells and boost the immune system.
If your diet is missing zinc, it can affect many areas, which include growth, reproduction, and sexual development. A zinc deficiency can affect your sense of smell and taste. Zinc is necessary for wound healing. Symptoms of a zinc deficiency can include weight loss, slow-healing wounds or ones that won’t heal, mental lethargy, diminished smell and taste, open sores on the skin or lesions on the eye, diarrhea, and lack of appetite. A deficiency can even cause hair loss.
The body has two immune systems that work together.
Zinc affects both systems. Your body has a general immune system and a specialized one. Each does something different, yet the two work together to keep you healthy. The general immune system is the one most people recognize. It kills invading microbes and creates a barrier to prevent them from entering the body. When an invader manages to enter the body, the specialized immune system starts into action. Lack of zinc affects both by changing your immune system, reducing effectiveness, and increasing inflammation.
A healthy diet can boost your zinc levels.
Foods that contain zinc include shellfish, meat, seeds and nuts, eggs, legumes, and dairy. Unless you properly process legumes, the zinc may not be bioavailable. The phytates in legumes affect absorption. Soaking, sprouting, and heating plants containing phytates can help eliminate them so they don’t block the absorption of zinc, iron, magnesium, and calcium. The very young and very old often have problems with zinc deficiencies for several reasons. The problems can stem from absorption difficulties or poor diet. Always talk to your healthcare professional before supplementing with zinc.
- Zinc requires daily replenishment. The body doesn’t store it. A vegetarian diet may not contain enough absorbable zinc due to the high levels of phytates that bind to zinc and make it unavailable.
- Studies have had good results from giving zinc in the first 24 hours of a cold. It shortens the duration of the cold. Other studies found that improving zinc levels can slow the progression of macular degeneration.
- People with a plant-based or vegan diet are more susceptible to zinc deficiencies. They may require 50% or more dietary zinc due to diminished bioavailability.
- One nursing home study showed that providing patients with daily zinc supplements lowered the incidence of pneumonia. Combining zinc with a healthy diet also helped slow the aging process.
For more information, contact us today at Thrive Fitness!