HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE BENEFITS OF ZINC
Firstly I’m not a pill pusher, and your nutrition efforts should be a far higher priority than any supplement. Nutrition always comes first and vitamins and minerals should only be taken after you have had the appropriate blood tests. Even if you are eating clean you should consider getting your blood tested to determine the vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids missing from your diet. Personally, I usually like to get my levels tested once a year to know I’m keeping everything in check. Now that we’ve covered the essential nutrition and testing lets get down to business.
Would you like to improve your reaction time, recover from training faster, have less illness/sickness?
Zinc (Zn) is an essential mineral involved in regulating large amount of enzymes in the body, it is found in every single one of our eighty trillion human cells. Zn also promotes the production of antibodies against intestinal pathogens (it’s good for your guts). Without Zn we wouldn’t survive and athletes (people who exercise regularly) require more Zn than sedentary people as we use Zn to make energy. Zn promotes immunity, resistance to infection, and the growth and development of the nervous system. These are all beneficial factors for athletes as recovery, improved neural drive and minimising the chances of getting sick all contribute to overall strength and performance gains.
Zn is also known as an antioxidant and immune boosting supplement, and most commonly supplemented to reduce the frequency of illness and to support optimal testosterone levels. Unfortunately one-third of the human population suffers from an inadequate intake Zn. Zn deficiency affects about 2-billion people in the developing world and deficiencies have been associated with many diseases.
The UK “recommended range” for Zn intake is 5.5-9.5 mg/day for males and 4.0-7.0 mg/day for females. This level is what I would class as the minimum and might just stop you from getting seriously ill. A total daily Zn intake of up to 50 mg/day is considered safe and not surprisingly more than the so-called UK recommended dosage.
NUTRITION
Oysters, lobster and red meats, especially beef, lamb and liver have some of the highest concentrations of Zn in food. The concentration of Zn in plants depends on the quality of soil they are grown in, just like the quality in meat depends on how the animals have been treated. Aim to get your dietary Zn from meat, but don’t rely on vegetables or grains for Zn because they also contain compounds called phytates that make the Zn unavailable to the body. Vegetarians are at greatest risk of Zn deficiency, but alcoholics and people with digestive issues, poor stomach acid levels are also highly susceptible.
Beans, nuts, seeds and blackcurrants are also good sources of Zn. But again, diets high in phytates can slow down the absorption of Zn and higher dosages are required to maintain safe levels. Other factors that can interfere with Zn absorption are phytates in cereals and soy foods that bind to minerals and have the potential to slow down or prevent absorption. The food you eat has a direct impact on your digestive health. Any food that you have an intolerance to will cause inflammation in the gut and slow down the digestion and absorption of valuable nutrients like Zn.
SUPPLEMENTING ZINC
Zn has many different chelations and forms that all have different weights and dosing protocols. Zn is most commonly supplemented daily in either “low dosage” ranges between 5-10mg or “high dosage” range between 25-50mg. The low dosage amounts are sufficient to reduce the risk of deficiency, and the high dosage range is used for people who have more than just a deficiency working against them (athletes,CrossFit included, diabetics, etc)
Warning: Be careful when purchasing Zn supplements or fortified foods, as all sources of Zn are not equal. Zinc carbonate, Zinc acetate and Zinc oxide are nearly insoluble and poorly absorbed in the body. If you have low Zn, take a high-quality Zn supplement that is not cut with calcium—this will impair absorption.
The health of your digestive system plays a major role in everything our body needs to survive. High cortisol levels (stress) affect our body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients and if your digestive health is questionable you need to take action immediately (more on this in future posts).
More is not always better and you should not overdose on Zn supplement. A dosage of <=50mg per day is sufficient. Some argue that high Zn intake can interfere with copper and iron absorption, but I struggle to find any studies that confirm this to be an issue with dosages <=50mg per day. This study refers to intake between 100-300mg per day (read more)
WHY SUPPLEMENT WITH ZINC?
About 98% of my personal training clients are initially Zn deficient when I get them tested. Unless you are already supplementing with this nutrient, it’s highly likely you are also deficient.
– Supplementing with Zn has been shown to reduce C-Reactive proteins and oxidative stress (read more, read more, read more)
– Studies show Zn deficiency significantly depresses immune function because Zn is needed for both development and the activation of T-lymphocytes (a type of white blood cells that is fundamental to supporting the body’s immune response)
– A slight increase in reaction time has been noted in persons who are Zn deficient and then supplement with Zn (read more)
– Zn is critical for the production of both sperm (read more) and the hormone testosterone (T) (the reason oysters are thought to be such a “sexy” food – even an aphrodisiac – is that they’re loaded with Zn). Zn levels are much lower in infertile men. Both chronic/excessive exercise (i.e. CrossFitters overtraining) can deplete Zn levels and T concentrations. Supplementing with Zn has been shown to increase T levels (read more, read more)
– Low Zn may increase aromatisation of testosterone to estrogen, just like vitamin D (this can give men ‘moobs’. Not a good look!)
– The male prostate tissue requires 10 times more zinc than other cells in the body for health. Once the prostate cells become cancerous they lack the ability to accumulate Zn, leading to the faster spread of cancer in the prostate
– High training volumes can have detrimental effects on thyroid hormones and T levels. Zn supplementation has been able to preserve these hormone levels during high workloads (read more, read more)
– The decline in thyroid hormone T3&T4 during prolonged exercise is abolished with the supplementation of Zn (read more, read more, read more, read more)
– Zn is not just a supplement for men; it has also been shown to help with menstrual problems in women (read more)
– Low levels of Zn are linked to infertility in women. Zn is involved in the growth process of the oocyte or egg
– Zn has been shown to help glucose metabolism. Low Zn levels have been linked to greater body fat, insulin resistance and diabetes. Insulin concentrations appear to be reduced following supplementation of zinc (read more). Zn improves insulin sensitivity (read more, read more)
– A reduction in blood glucose has been observed alongside insulin improvements in obese persons when supplementing with Zn (read more, read more)
– Zn supplementation has been shown to help reduce bodyweight in obese children (read more)
-Zn supplementation appears to be effective in reducing symptoms of acne (read more)
– Low Zn increases breast cancer risk in women (and men, although this is less common than prostate cancer risk in men) because of how it can lead to abnormal estrogen action in the body, and because Zn minimises inflammation, which is a principal cause of cell damage
– Zn can modulate brain excitability and cognitive performance. It plays a role in the synaptic plasticity and so in learning (read more, read more)
– Zn processes antiviral activity and will attack viruses that may cause the common cold. In regards to the common cold and infections, they rate of getting sick decreased in people who have sufficient Zn levels (read more)
– The Japanese have been using Zn Carnosine since 1994 and a number of studies have produced “remarkable improvements” of ulcer symptoms, including heartburn, belching, and abdominal bloating (read more)
– Deficiency in Zn can be indicated by diarrhoea
– Stroke patients who supplement with Zn have a faster rate of recovery (read more)
– Zn is used to make energy and people with chronic fatigue or the inability to focus have been found to have low Zn levels
– Zn can be used to improve mood and lower depression (read more, read more)
– Zn is needed to help decode the instructions in our DNA. DNA is a road map that allows our bodies to make use of the proteins that keep muscle, bones, hormones, enzymes, and dozens of other biochemical in our complex internal systems running smoothly
– The list could go on to include the lowering of LDL cholesterol, improvements in total cholesterol, benefits for OCD and ADHD, improvements in leptin levels (hormone that makes us feel full and improve our energy levels), lower aggression levels (could be linked to low T-levels)
Zn is a critical mineral that has endless benefits to our health and performance. If you want to train hard, recover fast and limit your chances of getting sick I recommend you get your Zn levels tested and start taking a good quality Zn supplement should you prove deficient.
Further Reading:
- Top Ten Benefits of Zinc
- The Most Important Supplement You’re Not Taking
- Zinc and Copper imbalance (Estrogen, Calcium, Mental Health, Testosterone)