Zinc – Essential Mineral For Human Health

Zinc is an essential mineral found in plenty of foods such as meat, some seafood, nuts, seeds, and legumes. This trace mineral helps your body perform a variety of vital functions, such as maintaining your immune system, neurotransmitters and hormones. Zinc also plays a fundamental role in human growth and development. Its importance in many bodily functions makes it one of the most crucial minerals for humans to get from their regular diets.

Zinc and Its Role in the Body

Zinc is essential for keeping the immune system healthy, promoting the healing process and wound repair, maintaining optimum levels of healthy testosterone, and promoting healthy brain function. It’s important for production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin, which can affect sleep and mood. Zinc also supports healthy eyesight, helps with fertility and reproduction, helps with taste and smell, and supports healthy blood sugar. It’s also known to help with reducing inflammation and protecting against free radical damage.

A Variety of Health Benefits of Zinc

Zinc can help support overall health and prevent various illnesses such as the common cold, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. It enhances the functionality of the immune system, helping your body fight off invading bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Zinc also helps the body utilize omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health. It helps the body absorb vitamins A, C, and E and helps with cortisol balance, an important hormone that helps regulate stress response. In addition, zinc can help reduce acne flare-ups and ward off skin conditions such as eczema.

Zinc can also be used to treat certain disorders and diseases. Intakes of zinc as supplements or through diet can help stabilize depressed immune systems, which can help treat bacteria and fungal infections. Zinc can be taken for treating sickle cell anemia and zinc deficiency syndromes such as acrodermatitis enteropathica. In addition, zinc can be taken for controlling the side effects of certain drugs. Lastly, zinc is used in the treatment ofdiarrhea, heartburn, and ulcers.

In summary, zinc is an essential mineral that plays a critical role in many bodily functions and diseases. If you’re not getting enough zinc in your diet, supplements of zinc may be beneficial. Zinc toxicity is rare, however, so be sure to consult with your doctor first before taking any zinc supplements.