When it comes to essential minerals, zinc may not be on your radar. However, zinc plays a huge role in health, especially when it comes to keeping your immune system healthy.
Anyone at risk for zinc deficiency is at risk of getting sick more often and having poor immune function. This can result in a greater chance of not being able to adequately fight bacteria and viruses.
How does zinc affect your immune system?
Zinc plays a role in the growth and function of immune cells. If you don't get enough of this mineral, the cells that protect your body from viruses and bacteria (lymphocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages) can't do their job.
In fact, short-term zinc deficiency caused a decrease in immunity , while chronic deficiency also increased inflammation, research from April 2015 in Autoimmunity Reviews shows.
Research published in the 2016 edition of Allergologia et Immunopathologia shows that 5 milligrams daily of zinc decreased the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections in infants, while a small May 2019 study in Pediatric Reports concluded that 30 milligrams of zinc per day decreased the duration of an acute lower respiratory tract infection in children.
In fact, supplementing with zinc when you're sick has been shown to help with symptoms. Zinc lozenges have an effect on the duration of the common cold, a May 2017 study at JRSM Open determined.
People who took zinc pills at doses between 80 and 207 milligrams per day reduced the duration of their colds by 28 to 40 percent.
If you get sick often, talk to your doctor about getting tested for zinc deficiency. This mineral is not usually ordered in blood tests and many people could be at risk without knowing it.
How much zinc do you need?
Your body doesn't need much, but getting the necessary amount is very important. Zinc is a 'trace element', which means that we only need very small amounts of it.
A zinc deficiency, which affects approximately 2 billion people worldwide, including 30 percent of the elderly population, according to a December 2017 report in Nutrients, is generally seen in people who have digestive disorders or chronic liver or kidney disease.
Vegetarians and vegans also have a slightly higher risk of zinc deficiency because plant-based mineral sources have lower bioavailability than animal-based foods.
Deficiency of this mineral can appear as a loss of appetite, loss of sense of smell or smell, diarrhea, decreased immunity or poor wound healing and low or depressed mood. Be careful though, as you can get too much zinc – the maximum tolerable intake level is 40 milligrams for adult men and women, according to the National Institutes of Health.
However, prolonged consumption of too much zinc is needed to cause toxicity, and is usually due to taking too many zinc supplements. Too much supplementation with can cause nausea and vomiting. When taken in pill form, it can limit iron absorption, causing iron deficiency anemia .
Foods rich in zinc
Fortunately, it's not too difficult to get enough zinc in your daily eating plan.
Red meat and poultry typically provide the highest amount of zinc. However, if you are looking for zinc on a nutrition label, be aware that it does not require food labels to include it unless it has been added.
If you need more in your diet, try including some of these rich foods:
- Oysters: Six oriental oysters provide you with 52 milligrams, 472 percent of the daily amount needed.
- Beef: A 140 gram steak has 15 milligrams, 140 percent of the DV.
- Chicken Leg : Each roast chicken leg contains 5 milligrams, 49 percent of the DV. And 85 grams of roasted turkey has 27 percent of the DV.
- Firm Tofu: One cup of tofu contains 4 milligrams, which is equivalent to 36 percent of the DV.
- Lean Pork Chops : One 170 gram pork chop contains 4 milligrams, for 32 percent of the DV.
- Hemp Seeds : Every 30 grams of hemp seeds has 3 milligrams, which is 26 percent of the DV.
- Lentils: A cup of cooked lentils contains 3 milligrams of zinc, or 23 percent of the DV.
- Low-fat yogurt : Each cup of low-fat yogurt has 2 milligrams, or 22 percent of the DV.
- Oatmeal : One cup of cooked oatmeal contains 2 milligrams, 21 percent of the DV.
- Shiitake Mushrooms : One cup of cooked shiitake mushroom has 2 milligrams, or 18 percent of the DV.
