10 Benefits Of Zinc
Zinc is one of the most important nutrients that we need in our diets. It’s involved in a number of important bodily functions on a daily basis, including our hormonal production, the growth and development of our bones, our immunity, and our digestion. Zinc also has a number of acute benefits on its own, such as managing inflammation and helping to promote sexual health. These are a few of the reasons that people choose to supplement zinc in their diets.
Zinc is one of the few nutrients that is actually present in all of our body tissues. Knowing this, it’s easy to see how important it is to ensure that we get zinc in our diets. It’s also necessary for cell division, an important process that determines how well and how quickly we can grow on a physical level.
Zinc deficiency can cause a huge number of problems like bone mineral deficiency, infertility, and an increased risk of diabetes. On the other hand, supplementing with zinc can provide a number of health benefits – especially in those who are already somewhat deficient in the mineral. These are some of the biggest health benefits that you can expect to see if you start supplementing zinc into your diet.
Zinc Benefit #1: Managing Hormonal Health
One of the most important functions of zinc is to help us manage the health of our hormones. People who suffer from sexual dysfunction can often experience some benefit by supplementing zinc because the mineral is so powerful in regard to helping restore balance to our hormonal system.
This is because zinc is involved in the production of our most important sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This is one of the reasons that zinc is commonly included in products intended to enhance the hormonal and sexual health of both males and females.
Zinc Benefit #2: Fights Oxidation
Zinc is one of the essential minerals that also functions as an antioxidant in addition to its other powerful abilities. Antioxidants help protect the body from oxidation, a natural process that leads to the degradation of our tissues and organs.
There are a number of environmental factors that can also speed up oxidation. These include lifestyle choices, pollution, and unhealthy food. When oxidation gets out of control, it can lead to the development of diseases like cancer. Antioxidants are very helpful in preventing the emergence of oxidation-related illness.
Zinc Benefit #3: Enhances Immunity
Vitamin C isn’t the only nutrient that can be useful in helping to fight off colds. In fact, recent research suggests that vitamin C isn’t nearly as powerful as many of us think it is, and that zinc can actually be more useful to fight viruses and bacteria.
Zinc has been proven to reduce the duration of cold-related symptoms and also to boost the strength of the immune system. This means that not only will it help you kick a cold faster, but it can prevent you from ever developing a cold in the first place.
Zinc Benefit #4: Helps Fight Diabetes
One of the best things that zinc can help people do is avoid diabetes. This is because zinc is important for the regulation and production of most of the hormones in our body, including insulin.
Insulin is the hormone that’s chiefly responsible for the management of blood sugar. People who are insensitive to their insulin, or who don’t produce enough of it, are less likely to be able to control their blood sugar. This can lead to blood sugar spikes and the eventual development of diabetes. By ensuring that you consume enough zinc, you can prevent the likelihood of developing diabetes.
Zinc Benefit #5: Enhances Cardiovascular Health
Zinc is highly involved in the proper maintenance of the cells in your cardiovascular system and in your heart. By helping to fight inflammation and oxidation, zinc further helps to ensure that our cardiovascular system remains in good health.
Zinc is also present in significant amounts in the endothelium. This is a layer of cells that coats our blood vessels, effectively acting as a protective skin for our arteries and veins. Without zinc, the endothelium will grow weak and can rupture.
Zinc Benefit #6: Enhances Digestive Health
Many people suffering from digestive problems have tested positive for zinc deficiency. This means that it’s important to supplement zinc if you want to ensure that you’re able to digest everything properly.
Furthermore, zinc has been used as a cure for acute diarrhea. It has also been proven useful for helping to manage prophylaxis.
Zinc Benefit #7: Enhances Fertility
Zinc has been proven to be important in human fertility, particularly for men. Zinc is important to the body produce testosterone, which in turn helps to ensure that sperm are produced healthy and in adequate amount for reproduction.
People with zinc deficiencies are less likely to be fertile and may experience other signs of sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction and impotence.
Zinc Benefit #8: Ensures Proper Protein Absorption
Zinc is a key nutrient that’s required for the body to produce proteins from the food that we eat. It’s used to help synthesize proteins from the various amino acids that we consume in our meals. Without zinc, even if we get all of the essential amino acids from our diet, we may not be able to effectively turn these amino acids into protein.
Zinc is also involved in the processing of carbohydrates, so without it, we won’t be able to get energy from the sugars and carbs that we consume. Zinc deficiency can thus lead to chronic fatigue and motivation problems.
Zinc Benefit #9: Enhances Liver Health
Zinc supplementation has proven to be useful in helping to enhance the health of the liver. It has been shown to reduce the level of damage done to the livers of people suffering from problems that can impact the liver’s ability to detoxify the body.
Zinc has also been used in a number of detoxification cleanse kits because it helps the liver process toxins and excrete them. It also helps to fight inflammation and infections in the liver.
Zinc Benefit #10: Enhances Muscle Health
As we have mentioned, zinc is already heavily involved in the faculty of cellular division. Cellular division is what allows us to grow, since every time a cell divides it becomes two cells. This is one of the basic principles that shows how we get so much larger as we mature.
Zinc is also involved in the synthesis of proteins from amino acids. Protein is necessary for the growth of muscles and without it, we will become weak. For this reason zinc is included in a number of workout supplements and protein powders.
