The Zinc Effect
We are nearing the end of all the minerals! So that is pretty exciting. Unless you liked learning about minerals. Then I guess that is less exciting. But today I wanted to talk about another very important, but not often discussed, mineral: zinc.
Zinc is found in almost every cell in the body, but its largest presence is among muscle and bone cells. Similar to sulfur, Zinc is apart of over 100 metalloenzymes (metal containing enzymes), especially in those involving the production of protein. What is absolutely crazy is that despite these facts, zinc wasn't considered a significant mineral until the late 1900's. So think of how many people suffered from a lack of zinc without even knowing it! Thankfully, our knowledge has changed since then.
One of the very important functions of zinc is its effect on the fertility of males. If a couple is trying to get pregnant, the chances are greatly enhanced if the male is consuming an adequate amount of zinc. Zinc effects the mobility and maturation of sperm, and that is imperative to conception. However, zinc has little to no influence on the fertility of the female.
Similarly, though on a slightly different thread, zinc is important for the growth and development of both children and fetuses. Without zinc, the child can be born under weight or have birth defects. Though zinc deficiency is very rare among the global population, some doctors may recommend zinc supplements in certain cases.
Once a child is born, zinc becomes important for the immune system and the healing of wounds. Zinc is a critical part of thymic hormone, which is involved in the maturation of while blood cells and killer macrophages (macrophages are the 'assassins' of our immune system; they target bacterial and viral cells, ingest them, and destroy them). So zinc, in summary, is kind of a bad-A. Or it is involved in super wicked stealth operation inside of the body. Those bacteria cells never know what hits them!
Okay, now that my nerd-out over macrophages is over, lets discuss other functions of zinc. Besides being in the blood stream with our white blood cells, zinc is also in the brain. Without zinc, we wouldn't be able to taste or smell; zinc is what activates these receptors inside of our brain. However, zinc also influences taste preferences and may be linked to anorexia. Studies have shown that zinc treatments are very effective for anorexics. So next time you eat something (which, for me, is about every two hours), think about how completely insane it is that one little mineral can effect whether you like a certain flavor or not.
For instance, sometimes I like tomatoes, but sometimes I don't. There are certain things I like tomatoes on, but other things I don't. And the smell of tomatoes makes me want to gag; yet, sometimes I just really want to put a tomato on my sandwich. WHY? I have no idea. But perhaps zinc has something to do with it? And yes, I realize how crazy this all sounds, but this is exactly what goes on in my head as I'm at the grocery store buying my produce for the week. My brain just can't decide how I feel about tomatoes, and that unsettles me a little bit.
Now that my tomato rant is over (what's funny is I'm actually growing tomato plants right now), I can discuss the foods zinc is found in. As mentioned before, zinc deficiencies are extremely rare, and as I list off the foods it is found in, ya'll will understand why. Most abundantly, zinc is found in:
-Red meat
-Seafood
-Whole grains
Obviously, with western diets, most of our zinc comes from red meat. For me, a poor college student, most of mine comes from whole grains. The zinc in whole grains comes from the germ and bran portions of the grain, which means that refined grains have little to no zinc in them. However, if you eat refined grains, you still get approximately 20% of the original amount contained in whole grains. Which isn't a totally bad deal considering some refined grains are absolutely delicious. Though, as a future nutrition professional, I do not recommend eating a lot of them. But that's not the topic we are discussing today...
As always, I want to reiterate the nature is super cool! It is our ultimate homie, our greatest friend, and best chance for health. And if nature is that good for us, why shouldn't we eat more of it?
Zinc is found in almost every cell in the body, but its largest presence is among muscle and bone cells. Similar to sulfur, Zinc is apart of over 100 metalloenzymes (metal containing enzymes), especially in those involving the production of protein. What is absolutely crazy is that despite these facts, zinc wasn't considered a significant mineral until the late 1900's. So think of how many people suffered from a lack of zinc without even knowing it! Thankfully, our knowledge has changed since then.
One of the very important functions of zinc is its effect on the fertility of males. If a couple is trying to get pregnant, the chances are greatly enhanced if the male is consuming an adequate amount of zinc. Zinc effects the mobility and maturation of sperm, and that is imperative to conception. However, zinc has little to no influence on the fertility of the female.
Similarly, though on a slightly different thread, zinc is important for the growth and development of both children and fetuses. Without zinc, the child can be born under weight or have birth defects. Though zinc deficiency is very rare among the global population, some doctors may recommend zinc supplements in certain cases.
Once a child is born, zinc becomes important for the immune system and the healing of wounds. Zinc is a critical part of thymic hormone, which is involved in the maturation of while blood cells and killer macrophages (macrophages are the 'assassins' of our immune system; they target bacterial and viral cells, ingest them, and destroy them). So zinc, in summary, is kind of a bad-A. Or it is involved in super wicked stealth operation inside of the body. Those bacteria cells never know what hits them!
Okay, now that my nerd-out over macrophages is over, lets discuss other functions of zinc. Besides being in the blood stream with our white blood cells, zinc is also in the brain. Without zinc, we wouldn't be able to taste or smell; zinc is what activates these receptors inside of our brain. However, zinc also influences taste preferences and may be linked to anorexia. Studies have shown that zinc treatments are very effective for anorexics. So next time you eat something (which, for me, is about every two hours), think about how completely insane it is that one little mineral can effect whether you like a certain flavor or not.
For instance, sometimes I like tomatoes, but sometimes I don't. There are certain things I like tomatoes on, but other things I don't. And the smell of tomatoes makes me want to gag; yet, sometimes I just really want to put a tomato on my sandwich. WHY? I have no idea. But perhaps zinc has something to do with it? And yes, I realize how crazy this all sounds, but this is exactly what goes on in my head as I'm at the grocery store buying my produce for the week. My brain just can't decide how I feel about tomatoes, and that unsettles me a little bit.
Now that my tomato rant is over (what's funny is I'm actually growing tomato plants right now), I can discuss the foods zinc is found in. As mentioned before, zinc deficiencies are extremely rare, and as I list off the foods it is found in, ya'll will understand why. Most abundantly, zinc is found in:
-Red meat
-Seafood
-Whole grains
As always, I want to reiterate the nature is super cool! It is our ultimate homie, our greatest friend, and best chance for health. And if nature is that good for us, why shouldn't we eat more of it?
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