Zinc |
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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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hCG
