Day: February 19, 2018

Zinc: The Secret Powerhouse Element

Increase Immunity, Testosterone, and “?” with Zinc

Kelly Sikkema

Under Attack:     Every year, and especially this year, the flu comes around and ruins the live of a surprising number of people (84 people have died this year according the the CDC). Aside from washing you hands, taking vitamin C and various other remedies that you may hear about, there is one tactic that doesn’t seem to get much press and that’s Zinc. Zinc has so many benefits it’s not practical to go through all of them here. However, suffice it to say that you not only need to know about zinc, you’ll need to know what kind to take to do the most damage to the cold or flu that might try to grab you. I’ve also learned about some other very interesting side benefits of taking zinc that I’ll share here.      The flu and cold season just seem to be getting worse. People run to get TamiFlu, and other drugs that are supposed to clear out the virus from you system and they actually do quite a good job of it. However, who knows of the side effects of these drugs and what happens when they run out? In my opinion it’s not a good strategy to depend on things like these drugs when supplements like zinc can help you if you’re diligent about supplementing with it.      Before anything else, I’ll say that of course this isn’t medical advice and you should do what’s best for your body and levels. Track how much zinc you may or may not be getting in your food before you decide to supplement with it. Especially if you are physically active or an athlete you likely don’t have too much to worry about as you lose zinc in your sweat. Taking a lot of zinc can deplete copper in your system so you may have to take copper to keep those levels up while taking in additional zinc. Iron and also magnesium interferes with the absorption of zinc so taking them together isn’t a good idea. Zinc can and most likely will interfere with most medications anyone might be taking so it’s obviously recommend to check with your healthcare professional before proceeding in that case.

Why Zinc?

Zinc works against the cold and flu virus by preventing it from binding to your cells. Particularly in the nasal passages zinc tends to work it’s magic nicely when a lozenge is used. Taking zinc through a zinc acetate lozenge for you’ll want to go for a zinc lozenge that has sort of a metallic taste and takes 15-20 minutes to dissolve. I don’t take a lozenge but I do take zinc picolinate from NOW Foods, Inc. Ideally priced and a decent quality supplement it is paired with picolinic acid in order to make it more available (permeate the gut and into your blood stream). There are many other benefits to supplementing with zinc also. A few other benefits are helping to repair the gut lining, easing depression, and increasing testosterone in men (and women) who are deficient in zinc. This last part might have caught your attention.  Yes, zinc has been shown in many studies to increase testosterone in subjects that were deficient in zinc. Supplementing with zinc brought testosterone levels back up to normal ranges and you can read more about that here (at examine.com) and at here (at anabolicmen.com). A lot of useful information for both men and women on Zinc can also be found here at the National Institutes of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements.

Personal Experience

My personal experience with zinc has been a positive one. I have supplemented daily with 50mg of zinc picolinate daily and haven’t seen any ill effects and have actually noticed a decrease on dry scalp and an improvement in mood and motivation. Additionally, given what I have learned about zinc in the research I’ve done, I’ll keep taking it. I think it may be one of the lesser known things people can do to make sure they are more resilient against these ever evolving flu strains that appear every year.

Conclusion:

Zinc can be one of the most powerful weapons you could use in fighting the flu and any other contagion this season. I believe it really works and there is plenty of research to support it. The big picture on Zinc seems to be that it’s something that gets in the way of infections, it’s something you need anyway, and it can improve hormonal balance if you’re deficient in some areas (especially in men from what I’ve read). There are toxicity levels for Zinc and drug interactions which can be found at the link I included if that is a concern for some. I hope this helped and got you more familiar with what Zinc can do for you if taken in recommend doses and under the appropriate circumstances. I’ve included some links below where you can find out almost everything you’d ever want to know about Zinc and what it can do for you. Avocados, Spinach, and other veggies should get you some dietary Zinc, but there’s always supplementation if you’re not getting enough in your diet.   Jeff

Katie Smith

Links and Information: