It’s Video Friday! Today’s post and video below addresses many frequently asked questions about zinc, including why zinc is essential to our health, what happens when we are deficient, signs and symptoms to look for, causes of deficiency, food sources of zinc, and more.

Did you know, an estimated two billion people worldwide are affected by zinc deficiency? While severe zinc deficiency is rare in the United States, mild deficiency due to inadequate intake or absorption problems is more common and can affect our health, especially our immune health.

Zinc is an essential trace element required for nutrient metabolism, DNA and protein synthesis, immune system functioning, cell division, reproduction and fetal development, wound healing, sense of smell and taste, central nervous system function, and more. An estimated 3000 proteins and enzymes require zinc to function properly. In fact, zinc is a necessary component of certain proteins that bind and respond to specific molecules, including those that work with vitamins D and A. Zinc is also essential to the bioavailability and activity of other nutrients, including folate and quercetin.

Since zinc is needed for such a wide variety of functions throughout the body, deficiency can show up through many different signs and symptoms, including

Zinc is a mineral that we must get from our diet, and is present naturally in a wide variety of foods, including red meat, poultry, pork, beans, nuts, whole grains, dairy products, fortified cereal, and some seafood such as oysters, crab, and lobster. Because plants and grain have phytates which are compounds that bind to zinc and other minerals and slow their absorption, more zinc is absorbed from animal-based products. Zinc is also available as a dietary supplement in multiple forms, such as zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate, and is also found in over-the-counter cold medicines. Daily intake of zinc is important since zinc is not stored in the body.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for zinc is 11 milligrams (mg) per day for adult males and 8 milligrams (mg) per day for adult females (11 mg/day is recommended for pregnant women and 12 mg/day is recommended for mothers who are breastfeeding).

Since zinc is absorbed in the small intestine, certain digestive issues and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, and gastrointestinal surgeries can lead to decreased absorption. Individuals at a higher risk for zinc deficiency also include those with chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. Most deficiencies are due to low intake (such as with vegetarians and vegan diets). Chronic alcohol intake can also lead to zinc deficiency. Increased intake of calcium and phosphate can also reduce or block zinc absorption.

This video, Zinc Deficiency | Dietary Sources, Causes, Signs & Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, gives a great overview of zinc and zinc deficiency.

Zinc is a nutrient well-known to benefit the immune system, and deficiency of zinc impairs the capacity of many different immune cells to carry out their functions. Studies have shown that zinc may reduce the risk and duration of infections such as pneumonia, the common cold, and the flu, especially in children and the elderly. Zinc plays a central role in T cell-mediated function and immune response to infectious disease. Zinc is also

Experts suggest 10-20 mg of zinc per day to help reduce the risk of viral respiratory tract infections.

Yes! While some zinc is essential to the body, only small quantities are needed and excess zinc can be toxic. Symptoms of zinc toxicity include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and headaches. High zinc intakes can also lead to a copper deficiency. The tolerable upper intake level for zinc is 40 milligrams per day (mg/day) for adults.

Zinc nutritional status can be assessed with a dried blood spot test. This test measures the amount of zinc within the red blood cells as well as within the serum, and for this reason, can be more accurate and detect deficiencies earlier than a typical zinc test of the serum alone. The lab reference range is 5.37 to 7.94 milligrams per liter (mg/L), which is the range of the average population the lab serves.

Could a zinc deficiency, or deficiency in other immune-important nutrients such as vitamin D, be putting a damper on your overall health and immune response? Find out by testing your levels of zinc along with other essential and toxic minerals and vitamin D by adding the Essential Elements Panel to your home vitamin D test kit. Measuring levels is the only way to know if you are supporting your body with proper nutrient status, and whether additional changes should be made with supplementation, dietary changes, and/or lifestyle changes.

Having and maintaining healthy levels of zinc, vitamin D and other important nutrients can help improve your health now and for your future. Choose which to measure with vitamin D, such as your omega-3s and essential minerals including magnesium and zinc, by creating your custom home test kit today.  Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU.

Enroll and test your levels today, learn what steps to take to improve your status of vitamin D (see below) and other nutrients and blood markers, and take action! By enrolling in the GrassrootsHealth projects, you are not only contributing valuable information to everyone, you are also gaining knowledge about how you could improve your own health through measuring and tracking your nutrient status, and educating yourself on how to improve it.

Be sure to educate yourself on the benefits and importance of vitamin D for immune health, and take steps to ensure you and your loved ones are getting enough.

You can review all of the COVID-19 and immune health information shared by GrassrootsHealth on this page.

Don't get stuck with low vitamin D levels - learn more about what might affect your level and response to supplementation, and the steps to take through each season to keep levels in your target range.

Have a beautiful and HEALTHY day.

Onwards,