10 Signs And Symptoms That You Are Deficient In Zinc
Over 2 billion worldwide are deficient in Zinc, which can lead to health problems such
as hair loss, depression, indigestion and many others.
To define it Zinc is an essential trace mineral that the
body cannot make on its own, so we have to eat it regularly from certain foods.
Although we only need tiny amounts of zinc (11mg men, 8mg women), it performs thousands
of different functions,
Such as stabilising DNA and RNA, the genetic material found inside your cells,
Helping hundreds of enzymes to build proteins like skin, hair, nails, and hormones.
And also building immune cells (white blood cells), the army that protect you from viruses,
bacteria and other invaders that can harm you.
The problem is that many of the soils that we grow our food in have become depleted of
zinc, so there is less available in the food supply.
Also, eating sugar, junk foods and grains can block your body's ability to absorb zinc.
(Which can also cause a deficiency).
Unfortunately a blood test will not tell you if you are deficient in zinc, as most of the
zinc in your body is not stored in the blood, it's in your cells.
So in today's video I want to share with you the top 10 common signs of a zinc deficiency,
so that you can become aware.
Afterwards I'll also explain more about the causes of a deficiency and how to fix it so
that you can maintain a healthy overall body.
This video is for educational purposes only, so do speak to your doctor if you have any
medical concerns.
1.
Loss Of Taste/Smell
Your body uses zinc to help send signals to your brain from your taste buds and from your
nose so that you can perceive different tastes and smells.
If you don’t have zinc in your body, food starts becoming bland and tasteless, and smells
lose their potency.
This usually happens after someone has had a cold or an infection from a virus, because
the body uses up its zinc stores to fight off the infection,
(and there's not enough zinc left for your taste and smell receptors)
2.
White Spots On Nail
Your nails take 3-6 months to grow out, so if you notice that there is a white spot in
the middle, this means that you had a zinc deficiency a few months ago.
Eating lots of refined carbohydrates and sugar depletes your zinc and usually causes these
white spots to appear, as zinc is needed to produce healthy and strong keratin.
People with a more severe deficiency may also develop white horizontal lines across their
nails from left to right.
3.
Depression
People who suffer with clinical depression usually have low levels of zinc.
Zinc is needed to help build neurotransmitters and hormones like dopamine, which makes you
feel pleasure and happiness.
Without enough zinc, your brain chemistry becomes out of balance and mood disorders
like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder can arise.
4.
Low Testosterone As men age, the amount of testosterone we
produce gets lower and lower.
Zinc however helps the body to keep producing normal levels of testosterone, and prevents
it from being converted into other hormones like estrogen or DHT.
Men with a zinc deficiency may suffer with shrinking testicles (hypogonadism), weakness
of the muscles, poor sperm quality and prostate enlargement.
(as a side note) I'll be talking about some foods later in
the video that you can use to boost up your zinc intake to prevent all of these problems.
5.
Thinning Hair If you notice that your hair is becoming thinner,
or your getting bald patches in your scalp, this could be caused by a zinc deficiency.
Zinc is involved with building DNA, proteins and hormones that are important for producing
strong, thick and healthy hair.
Zinc also helps your glands to make sebum, the natural oil that moisturises your skin
and scalp and prevents dandruff.
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6.
Frequent Infections
Contrary to popular belief, it's not normal to have a cold/infection every few months.
If you do, this means that you have a weakened immune response, which could be coming from
a zinc deficiency.
Zinc supports the thymus gland, where your T-cells are created.
These are part of your immune system which helps to fight off viruses, bacteria and fungi
before they can do harm to your body.
Another interesting piece of information
Zinc is also important to building glutathione, the master antioxidant made by your liver,
that slows down the aging process and heals pockets of inflammation anywhere in your body.
7.
Vision Problems
A zinc deficiency can cause you to struggle to see in low light conditions at night, because
it's needed to help transport Vitamin A from your liver to your eyes.
It also helps to build visual pigments in your retinas, so that you can see clearly,
sharply and with colour.
So if you don’t have enough zinc, you are far more likely to suffer with night blindness,
dry eyes, cataracts and macular degeneration.
8.
Stomach/Mouth Ulcers
If you suffer with gastric/peptic/stomach ulcers or mouth ulcers then this is a positive
sign that you are deficient in zinc.
Getting more zinc into your diet helps to repair the damaged tissues and the inner skin
of the body, preventing ulceration in the future.
Zinc also helps to prevent autoimmune diseases that arise when toxins leach through the gut.
9.
Shortness Of Breath
If you climb up a set of stairs, take a light walk or exert yourself and you quickly find
you become out of breath very easily, this can also indicate a zinc deficiency.
Zinc is involved with making antioxidants that help protect your heart so that you can
have oxygen rich blood.
Without enough zinc, and other antioxidants like Vitamin E, your heart may become weaker,
your blood pressure can go up,
And you may have air hunger when you perform physical activity.
10.
Skin Problems
Zinc plays an important role in the production of collagen, the structural protein that hold
your skin together, keeping it smooth, flexible and healthy.
Without enough Zinc, pregnant mothers and those who gain weight are far more likely
to develop stretch marks.
Low zinc can also cause the skin to start cracking, with a glazed appearance, often
around the folds of the mouth, hands and groin.
You may also develop acne, eczema, dermatitis and other issues like rosacea.
(Because of how important zinc is for producing healthy skin).
11.
Wounds That Won't Heal The next sign of a zinc deficiency is wounds
that won't heal properly.
Because zinc is required to repair cell membranes and grow new healthy skin cells, if you don't
have enough your body will struggle to heal cuts and wounds.
Cuts, wounds, burns and scrapes may take longer to heal if you don't increases your zinc intake.
Later in the video, we'll talk about how to replenish your zinc if you have any of these
signs and symptoms.
5 Causes Of Zinc Deficiency
1.
The first and most common cause of a zinc deficiency is eating too many sugary foods
like biscuits, soda drinks, fruit juices, jams, syrups and sweets.
Your body up its zinc stores to help turn sugar into fuel, so if you eat too much sugar
your zinc stores get depleted.
2.
You can be deficient in zinc because you have digestive damage and aren't absorbing it properly.
If you have IBS, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, IBD, or you have had a gastric bypass, this
will prevent you from absorbing enough zinc, so you may need to supplement to boost your
intake.
3.
Another cause of low zinc is drinking too much alcohol, which blocks zinc from being
transported to your organs properly,
4.
And also boiling your vegetables or meats can cause the zinc to leach into the water
and escape from the food.
5.
Eating GMO foods and grains, are often sprayed with chemical pesticides like glyphosate which
binds to zinc and other minerals, blocking you from absorbing them.
How To Boost Zinc Levels
1.
Eat foods rich in zinc on a regular basis, like oysters, crab meat, organic tofu, beef,
lamb organ meats, watermelon seeds, and sugar free dark chocolate.
Be sure to choose organic produce whenever you can, as these have a higher nutritional
profile, and will not contain any chemicals that can block zinc absorption.
2.
Cut back on foods that contain phytates, such as wheat, flour, rice, corn, beans and lentils.
Get your fiber from leafy vegetables instead like brussels sprouts, avocados, cabbage,
arugula etc..
If you're eating seeds/nuts, soak them in water for 24-48 hours to germinate them, then
dry them out and eat them, to remove any phytic acid.
3.
Start drinking 1tbsp apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water before each meal.
This helps your stomach to digest and absorb more zinc, magnesium, copper and other minerals,
by strengthening its Ph.
4.
If you wish you can take a daily supplement of 30mg chelated zinc (zinc glycinate/bisglycinate
chelate).
If you're taking a zinc supplement, you should also be taking copper in a blend of other
trace minerals.
Too much zinc can deplete copper and vice versa.
5.
If you've had digestive surgery (gastric bypass), liver/gallbladder issues or suffer from indigestion/acid
reflux,
start taking a good quality probiotic which contains at least 100 billion CFU's.
This helps to boost the friendly bacteria in your gut so that you can absorb more nutrients
to promote healing of the digestive tract.
The Top Vitamins That Boost COLLAGEN, tap here.
Thank you so much for watching my video today, and as always I wish you great health, wealth
and happiness.