You may or may not know this, but up to 50% of the vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat are lost by the time they reach the table. So even though you may be eating a healthy diet, you are probably deficient in quite a few essential nutrients.
That’s why we here at the Diabetes Authority recommend adding supplements to fill in those gaps where your diet leaves off. One of those supplements we recommend is ZINC. The main reason we recommend supplementing zinc is because the body has no means of producing or storing this essential mineral like it can with other vitamins/minerals.
Zinc is one of the most overlooked nutrients for reasons unknown. So what roles does zinc play in your health?
- Creation, storage, and secretion of insulin (Blood sugar control)*
- Protects cells from oxidative damage from free radicals (aka bad guys)*
- Supports cellular growth
- Helps maintain a healthy metabolic rate (fat-burning)*
- Improves brain function*
- Prevents impotence*
- Improves cholesterol levels*
- Healthy digestive system*
- And over 300 enzyme functions
*Problems individuals with type 2 diabetes often experience, which supplementing with zinc can help.
Zinc has more biological roles than all the other trace minerals combined!
Besides supplementing zinc, it can be found in the following foods:
- Liver
- Oysters
- Pumpkins seeds
- Beef
- Green peas
- Beans
- Dark Chocolate & cocoa
- Lamb
- Peanuts
- Wheat germ
But like we mentioned earlier, even though you may eat these foods regularly the processing and cooking of these foods prevents you from getting the adequate amounts of zinc your body needs.
So how much Zinc should you supplement with?
We recommend taking up to 40mg. Consuming any more than that you are putting yourself at risk for adverse side effects. So stick to less than 40mg per day.
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