What is zinc and why do we need it? The understanding nutrients series
Welcome to another edition of the understanding nutrients series! I started this ongoing series to give you a better understanding of the nutrients in your food and why we need them. This blog post will look at the mineral zinc.
You can find the other vitamins and minerals I’ve already
covered here.
Zinc is such an important nutrient that doesn’t get much
love, so I thought it was time to cover it.
The roles of zinc:
Zinc has many roles in the body, so I’ll touch on a few.
Immune system: zinc does a lot for your immune system. It
helps your body’s physical barrier to disease by maintaining your skin, and
membranes that line areas like your nose and mouth. This can stop bacteria
getting into your body in the first place.
It also helps immune system cells become specialised and
function properly so that each cell can do its specific job. Zinc also has some
anti-inflammatory effects and protects from free radical damage to cells. And
finally, zinc is involved in the antibody response. Antibodies are proteins
that can detect a foreign cell (i.e., bacteria or a virus) in the body and
trigger the immune response.
Growth and development: zinc is crucial for cell
multiplication and helps regulate DNA synthesis. This is especially important
in babies and children as it’s a period of rapid growth.
Metabolism: zinc is a cofactor for many enzymes. This means
it helps the enzyme to speed up the chemical reactions in our body. Many of the
enzymes it supports include ones that help us process protein, fats, and
alcohol.
Zinc also has a role in wound healing, regulating testosterone
levels, and protein synthesis.
How much zinc do we need?
Adult men need 9.5mg of zinc, while adult women need 7mg. if
you’re lactating, you’ll need an extra 2.5-6mg per day.
A handful of peanuts (25g) has 0.8mg of zinc for example.
Zinc is a nutrient that we don’t always absorb the total
amount found in foods. This occurs with plant based sources of zinc like beans, lentils, and seeds. This is because of phytate, a naturally occurring compound
found in plants, which binds to the zinc when it’s in our gut and stop it being
digested. Phytate can be removed by soaking, boiling, or sprouting the food. Zinc
from animal sources is better absorbed than zinc from plant sources because of
this.
Another thing with zinc absorption is the other minerals you
eat at the same time. A lot of minerals are processed using the biological transporters in the body, so there’s often competition. Iron and calcium compete
with zinc for absorption in the small intestine as they use the same transporter. It’s not something to be too concerned about but I thought it would be interesting to mention.
Foods that are sources of zinc:
Meat, fish, beans, nuts,
wholegrains, and seeds are all sources of zinc. This is not an exhaustive list
but here are some examples:
- 100g of sliced beef has 4.7mg of zinc
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- 100g of prawns has 1mg of zinc
- 100g of tinned tuna has 0.9mg of zinc
- 100g of red lentils has 1mg of zinc
- 100g of kidney beans has 0.9mg of zinc
- 25g of cheddar cheese has 1mg of zinc
- 25g of sunflower seeds has 1.25mg of zinc
- 2 slices of brown bread have ~ 1.6mg of zinc
- 25g of almonds has 0.8mg of zinc
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What happens if we don’t get enough zinc?
You should be able to get all the
zinc you need from a balanced diet. However, deficiency can occur if you have
an inadequate diet such as having lots of foods that contain phytates or not
eating meat. It can also occur in due to malabsorption/illness such as crohns
disease or pancreatic insufficiency.
Symptoms of zinc deficiency can
look like: getting ill more often – due to a weaker immune system, skin rashes
and dryness, hair loss, lack of alertness, a reduced sense of taste, diarrhoea,
and a lack of appetite. In children, deficiency can look like stunted growth
and delayed puberty.
It’s normally treated with zinc
tablets to supplement your intake.
Key points:
- Zinc is an important mineral that has many roles in the body, including: helping our immune system function, promoting wound healing, supporting our metabolism, and aiding growth.
- Men need 9.5mg of zinc a day, while women need 7mg.
- Sources of zinc include: meat, fish, beans, nuts, and seeds. Zinc from animal sources is more easily absorbed by the body.
- A lack of zinc in the diet can lead to symptoms like getting ill more often, delayed growth, skin rashes, and diarrhoea.
I hope you find this blog informative.
Bye for now! 👋
References:
https://quadram.ac.uk/UKfoodcomposition/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019735/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10801966/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3724376/
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