You may not think of a mineral deficiency as lethal. But the truth of the matter is that low levels of even one essential mineral can send your health on a slow, silent downward spiral… paving the way to a number of preventable diseases, from diabetes to cancer. And there’s no better example of this than the current U.S. epidemic of zinc deficiency.
Soil depletion combined with carbohydrate-heavy diets and high-stress lifestyles mean that insufficient levels of this mineral are commonplace today—and your health could be at serious risk because of it.1-4
Why? Well for starters, your hormonal balance depends upon zinc. Proper levels are necessary for your body’s production and regulation of thyroid, adrenal and sex hormones, while playing a critical role in vital functions like vitamin synthesis, cell signaling and bone density.5-9
Adequate zinc levels are also crucial to gut health, with deficiency being linked to the development of inflammatory bowel disease in a variety of studies—so it shouldn’t surprise you that this mineral is a clinically proven ally to your immune system, too.10-13 Studies show that zinc supplementation can increase resistance to infection and reduce duration of the common cold, due to its ability to mobilize natural killer cells and protect your thymus and lymphoid tissues.14-20
As a necessary mineral component of powerful antioxidant enzymes, zinc intake also induces the synthesis of detoxifying metallothionein proteins—helping your liver and kidneys to excrete dangerous heavy metals like mercury and cadmium as a result. Low levels of zinc, on the other hand, are shown to intensify oxidative stress, depleting your body’s stores of essential free radical scavengers like glutiathone, vitamin E and superoxide dismutase.
Finally, research reveals that autistic children have zinc levels of less than half of those found in healthy children of the same age—and in an analysis of over 3,500 autism patients, it was found that high doses of supplemental zinc delivered dramatic behavior responses.21 In fact, low levels of this mineral have been linked to neurological disorders in populations of all ages, ranging from schizophrenia and depression to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.22
It’s clear that simply knowing your zinc levels is half the battle—and luckily, this isn’t difficult to do. For over 20 years now, doctors have recommended the Zinc Taste Test (ZTT) to assess deficiency—the ZTT is a simple, inexpensive test that can be performed in the comfort of your own home.23-24 Simply swish 10 ml of the ZTT’s zinc sulfate solution around your mouth for 10 seconds and observe your taste response. If you have very slight or no perceived metallic taste, this indicates that your levels of this critical mineral may be below normal and a daily zinc supplement should be the next addition to your daily regimen—but an immediate or strong metallic taste response means your zinc levels are probably adequate. This important ZTT test is readily available to you now as ZincMate, through Vitamin Research Products. For tracking your zinc status, use ZincMate routinely.
References:
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2. Winterberg B, et al. Zinc in the Treatment of Diabetic Patients. Trace Elements in Medicine. 1989;6(4):173-77.
3. X. Kadota I. Studies on experimental diabetes mellitus as produced by organic reagents; oxine diabetes and dithizonenbsp diabetes. The J of Lab and Clin Med. 1950 Apr;35(4):568-91.
4. Ijuin H. Evaluation of pancreatic exocrine function and zinc absorption in alcoholism. Kurume Med J. 1998;45(1):1-5.
5. Nishiyama S, Futagoishi-Suginohara Y, Matsukura M, et al. Zinc supplementation alters thyroid hormone metabolism in disabled patients with zinc deficiency. J Am Coll Nutr. 1994;13:62-67.
6. Olivieri O, Girelli D, Stanzial AM, et al Selenium, zinc, and thyroid hormones in healthy subjects: low T3/T4 ratio in the elderly is related to impaired selenium status. Biol Trac Elem Res. 1996;51:31-41.
7. Prasad AS, Montzoros CS, Beck FW, et al. Zinc status and healthy testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition. 1996;12(5):344-348.
8. Mutlu M, Argun M, Kilic E, Saraymen R, Yazar S. Magnesium, zinc and copper status in osteoporotic, osteopenic and normal post-menopausal women. J Int Med Res. 2007;35:692-5.
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10. Ojuawo A, Keith L. The serum concentrations of zinc, copper and selenium in children with inflammatory bowel disease. Cent Afr J Med. 2002;49(9-10):116-19.
11. Geering BJ, Badart-Smook A, Stockbrugger RW, Brummer RJ. Comprehensive nutritional status in recently diagnosed patients with inflammatory bowel disease compared with population controls. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000;54(6):514-21.
12. Fleming CR, Huizenga KA, McCall JT, et al. Zinc nutrition in Crohn’s disease. Dig Dis Sci. 1981;26(10):865-70.
13. Hendricks KM, Walker WA. Zinc deficiency in inflammatory bowel disease. Nutr Rev. 1988;46(12):401-8.
14. Prasad AS, Beck FW, Grabowski SM, Kaplan J, Mathog RH. Zinc deficiency: changes in cytokine production and T-cell subpopulations in patients with head and neck cancer and in noncancer subjects. Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians. 1997;109(1):68-77.
15. Prasad AS, Oberleas D. Changes in Activities of Zinc-Dependent Enzymes in Zinc-Deficient Tissues of Rats. J Appl Physiol. 1971;31:842-6.
16. Prasad As. Zinc: Mechanisms of Host Defence. J Nutr. 2007;137:1345-9.
17. Mocchegiani E, et al. Zinc and immunoresistance to infection in aging: new biological tools. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2000 Jun;21(6):205-8.
18. Prasad AS, Fitzgerald JT, Bao B, Beck FWJ, Chandrasekar PH. Duration of symptoms and plasma cytokine levels in patients with the common cold. A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. Annals of Int Med. 2000 Aug;133:245-252.
19. Novick SG. How does zinc modify the common cold? Clinical observations and implications regarding mechanisms of action. Med Hypothesis 1996 Mar;46(3):295-302.
20. Godfrey JC, Godfrey NJ, Novick SG. Zinc for treating the common cold: review of all clinical trials since 1984. Alter Ther Health Med. 1996 Nov;2(6):63-72.
21. Walsh WJ, Usman A, Tarpey J, et al. Metallothionein and Autism, 2nd edition, Monograph. Health Research Institute. Naperville, Illinois. 2002
22. Zinc Deficiency Tied to Neurofibrillary Tangles in Alzheimer’s. Family Practice News. October 15-31, 1990;20(20):7.
23. Bryce-Smith D, Simpson RI. Case of anorexia nervosa responding to zinc sulphate. Lancet. 1984 Aug11; 2(8398):350.
24. Bryce-Smith D, Simpson RID, Southon S, Johnson IT, Gee JM. Anorexia, depression, and zinc deficiency. Lancet. 1984 Nov17; 2(8412):1162-3.
