TABLE OF CONTENTS:
FEATURE STORY
Pump Up Your Immune System

IN THE NEWS
Maximize Your Minerals

CHECKLIST
Helpful Herbs & Supplements

COOKING CORNER
Banana Berry Nog

VITAMINS & MINERALS
Zinc for Winter Wellness

HERBAL REMEDIES
Relax with Lavender

EVERYDAY ANSWERS
How Can I Keep My Family Healthy?

More Health Info & Answers

CNCA Home Page Newsletter Archive Forward To A Friend

"I have just discovered your newsletter. It is great!"
- Doreen Stevens

Your Feedback Is this useful? Yes   No  We value your comments:

More Health Info & Answers

Zinc for Winter Wellness

Zinc is an essential mineral that is a component of more than 300 enzymes needed to repair wounds, maintain fertility in adults and growth in children, synthesize protein, help cells reproduce, preserve vision, boost immunity, and protect against free radicals, among other functions.

Where is it found?
Good sources of zinc include oysters, meat, eggs, seafood, black-eyed peas, tofu, and wheat germ

Who is likely to be deficient?
Zinc deficiencies are quite common in people living in poor countries. Phytate, a substance found in unleavened bread (pita, matzos, and some crackers) significantly reduces absorption of zinc, increasing the chance of zinc deficiency. However, phytate-induced deficiency of zinc appears to be a significant problem only for people already consuming marginally low amounts of zinc. Even in developed countries, low-income pregnant women and pregnant teenagers are at risk for marginal zinc deficiencies. Supplementing with 25–30 mg per day improves pregnancy outcome in these groups.

People with liver cirrhosis appear to be commonly deficient in zinc. This deficiency may be due to cirrhosis-related zinc malabsorption.

People with Down’s syndrome are also commonly deficient in zinc. Giving zinc supplements to children with Down’s syndrome has been reported to improve impaired immunity and thyroid function, though optimal intake of zinc for people with Down’s syndrome remains unclear. Children with alopecia areata (patchy areas of hair loss) have been reported to be deficient in zinc.

The average diet frequently provides less than the Recommended Dietary Allowance for zinc, particularly in vegetarians. To what extent (if any) these small deficits in zinc intake create clinical problems remains unclear. Nonetheless, a low-potency supplement (15 mg per day) can fill in dietary gaps. Zinc deficiencies are more common in alcoholics and people with sickle cell anemia, malabsorption problems, and chronic kidney disease.

How much is usually taken?
Moderate intake of zinc, approximately 15 mg daily, is adequate to prevent deficiencies. Higher levels (up to 50 mg taken three times per day) are reserved for people with certain health conditions, under the supervision of a doctor. For the alleviation of cold symptoms, lozenges providing 13–25 mg of zinc in the form zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, or zinc acetate can be used as directed, but only for several days.

Are there any side effects or interactions?
Zinc intake in excess of 300 mg per day has been reported to impair immune function. Some people report that zinc lozenges lead to stomach ache, nausea, mouth irritation, and a bad taste. One source reports that gastrointestinal upset, metallic taste in the mouth, blood in the urine, and lethargy can occur from chronic oral zinc supplementation over 150 mg per day, but those claims are unsubstantiated. In topical form, zinc has no known side effects when used as recommended. However, using zinc nasal spray has been reported to cause severe or complete loss of smell function in at least ten people. In some of those cases, the loss of smell was long-lasting or permanent.

Preliminary research had suggested that people with Alzheimer’s disease should avoid zinc supplements. More recently, preliminary evidence in four patients actually showed improved mental function with zinc supplementation. In a convincing review of zinc/Alzheimer’s disease research, perhaps the most respected zinc researcher in the world concluded that zinc does not cause or exacerbate Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.

Zinc inhibits copper absorption. Copper deficiency can result in anemia, lower levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, or cardiac arrhythmias. Copper intake should be increased if zinc supplementation continues for more than a few days (except for people with Wilson’s disease). Some sources recommend a 10:1 ratio of zinc to copper. Evidence suggests that no more that 2 mg of copper per day is needed to prevent zinc-induced copper deficiency. Many zinc supplements include copper in the formulation to prevent zinc-induced copper deficiency. Zinc-induced copper deficiency has been reported to cause reversible anemia and suppression of bone marrow.

Marginal zinc deficiency may be a contributing factor in some cases of anemia. In a study of women with normocytic anemia (i.e., their red blood cells were of normal size) and low total iron-binding capacity (a blood test often used to assess the cause of anemia), combined iron and zinc supplementation significantly improved the anemia, whereas iron or zinc supplemented alone had only slight effects. Supplementation with zinc, or zinc and iron together, has been found to improve vitamin A status among children at high risk for deficiency of the three nutrients.

Zinc competes for absorption with copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium. A multimineral supplement will help prevent mineral imbalances that can result from taking high amounts of zinc for extended periods of time.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) may increase urinary excretion of zinc. Long-term users of NAC may consider adding supplements of zinc and copper.

Table of Contents

Supplements from CNCA

Forward This Newsletter

Save 10-20% on our Monthly Special

CNCA Home Page

Newsletter Archive and Sign-up

Copyright © 2008 Aisle7. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of the Aisle7 content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Aisle7. Healthnotes Newsletter is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. Aisle7 shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. AISLE7 is a registered trademark of Aisle7.

The statements above have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition, including cancer.