Zinc
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Activates approximately 200 enzymes with vital roles in acid/base balance, alkaline phosphatase (which frees inorganic phosphates to be used in bone metabolism), alcohol dehydrogenase (which works in the liver to detoxify alcohol), carbonic anhydrase (which helps excrete carbon diozide), carboxypeptidase (necessary for the digestion of dietary proteins), cellular division, cytochrome C (important in electron transport and energy production), digestion, eicosanoid production, gene expression, immune function, lipid metabolism, and RNA, DNA and protein synthesis; zinc is required to metabolize B-complex vitamins, essential fatty acids and prostaglandins; necessary for the production of insulin and digestive enzymes; a critical regulator of the sensory perceptions of smell, taste and vision, and controls salt-taste perception; necessary for dark adaptation and night vision; regulates vitamin A levels by controlling the release of stored vitamin A from the liver; has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used successfully to treat some types of arthritis; necessary for a healthy prostate gland and helps prevent benign prostatic hyperplasia; restores the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and air passages; used in the treatment of the common cold; helps to regulate a wide variety of immune system activities including T-lymphocytes, CD4 lymphocytes, natural killer cells and interleukin 2; and is a powerful stimulant to the immune system, activating the thymus gland (which then produces thymosin, an immune-cell stimulating hormone). Zinc is also an essential component of antioxidant function, stabilizing cell membranes thus making them less susceptible to oxidative damage, and is essential for the activity of superoxide dismutase - an important intracellular antioxidant enzyme.
A zinc deficiency could be a contributing cause of acne, alcoholism, alopecia, anorexia, behavioral disturbances, chronic inflammatory skin conditions, decreased immunity, dermatitis, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, frequent infections, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypochlorhydria, hypogonadism and delayed sexual maturation, inflammatory bowel disease, injuries and fractures that do not heal, poor appetite, poor circulation, prostate and other cancers, retarded growth in a child, and some types of infertility.
Pharmaceutical drugs that can cause a zinc deficiency include benazepril, benzthiazide, bumetanide, captopril, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, cholestyramine, cimetidine, corticosteroids, enalapril, ethacrynic acid, famotidine, fosinopril, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, hydroflumethiazide, indapamide, lisinopril, methyclothiazide, metolazone, moexipril, nizatidine, oral contraceptives, perindopril erbumine, polythiazide, quinapril, quinethazone, ramipril, ranitidine bismuth citrate, ranitidine hydrochloride, torsemide, trandolapril, triamterene, trichlormethiazide, and zidovudine.
Dietary sources richest in zinc (per serving) include eggs, enriched grains and grain products, legumes (beans, lentils, peas, soybeans), lean meats and meat products, liver, nutritional supplements, nuts, oyster, potato, seeds and wheat germ.
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> back to About Micronutrients
Activates approximately 200 enzymes with vital roles in acid/base balance, alkaline phosphatase (which frees inorganic phosphates to be used in bone metabolism), alcohol dehydrogenase (which works in the liver to detoxify alcohol), carbonic anhydrase (which helps excrete carbon diozide), carboxypeptidase (necessary for the digestion of dietary proteins), cellular division, cytochrome C (important in electron transport and energy production), digestion, eicosanoid production, gene expression, immune function, lipid metabolism, and RNA, DNA and protein synthesis; zinc is required to metabolize B-complex vitamins, essential fatty acids and prostaglandins; necessary for the production of insulin and digestive enzymes; a critical regulator of the sensory perceptions of smell, taste and vision, and controls salt-taste perception; necessary for dark adaptation and night vision; regulates vitamin A levels by controlling the release of stored vitamin A from the liver; has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used successfully to treat some types of arthritis; necessary for a healthy prostate gland and helps prevent benign prostatic hyperplasia; restores the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and air passages; used in the treatment of the common cold; helps to regulate a wide variety of immune system activities including T-lymphocytes, CD4 lymphocytes, natural killer cells and interleukin 2; and is a powerful stimulant to the immune system, activating the thymus gland (which then produces thymosin, an immune-cell stimulating hormone). Zinc is also an essential component of antioxidant function, stabilizing cell membranes thus making them less susceptible to oxidative damage, and is essential for the activity of superoxide dismutase - an important intracellular antioxidant enzyme.
A zinc deficiency could be a contributing cause of acne, alcoholism, alopecia, anorexia, behavioral disturbances, chronic inflammatory skin conditions, decreased immunity, dermatitis, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, frequent infections, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypochlorhydria, hypogonadism and delayed sexual maturation, inflammatory bowel disease, injuries and fractures that do not heal, poor appetite, poor circulation, prostate and other cancers, retarded growth in a child, and some types of infertility.
Pharmaceutical drugs that can cause a zinc deficiency include benazepril, benzthiazide, bumetanide, captopril, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, cholestyramine, cimetidine, corticosteroids, enalapril, ethacrynic acid, famotidine, fosinopril, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, hydroflumethiazide, indapamide, lisinopril, methyclothiazide, metolazone, moexipril, nizatidine, oral contraceptives, perindopril erbumine, polythiazide, quinapril, quinethazone, ramipril, ranitidine bismuth citrate, ranitidine hydrochloride, torsemide, trandolapril, triamterene, trichlormethiazide, and zidovudine.
Dietary sources richest in zinc (per serving) include eggs, enriched grains and grain products, legumes (beans, lentils, peas, soybeans), lean meats and meat products, liver, nutritional supplements, nuts, oyster, potato, seeds and wheat germ.
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