Think Zinc: Skin, Gut, Kids, Autoimmune, Libido & Alcohol Detoxification
Want gorgeous skin and a healthy metabolism and an iron-clad gut and the ability to detox your wine?
Think zinc my friend!
Zinc is an essential trace element. ESSENTIAL. As in, alllllll your cells must have it. Let’s take a look at what this amazing mineral does for your body and how to determine if you have enough of it.
Skin
Zinc plays a huge role in the integrity and structure of your skin. It regulates skin cell production and turnover, you need it for collagen formation, and it helps fight inflammation. The top layer of your skin is concentrated with more than six times the zinc than the lower layers. But what if you don’t have enough there? Your skin integrity will suffer. So whether your goal is anti-aging, overcoming acne or reducing redness: think zinc.
You also need plenty of zinc to help your body heal wounds. One sign of zinc deficiency is if you have wounds that heal slowly. When you cut yourself, zinc rallies around the broken skin to help facilitate healing. Along with proteins and enzymes, it works to control inflammation, protect against infection and helps transport new cells to the place of the cut.
Topical zinc (zinc oxide) is fantastic for protecting your skin from sun damage. It acts as a physical barrier and is a much better choice than the chemical sunscreens. I use Beautycounter Dew Skin which is a tinted zinc sunscreen. I wear it every single day under my makeup. It was the gateway product that made me a Beautycounter convert. Adding topical zinc to your daily skin routine can improve the texture too. Zinc on the inside AND out is important for skin.
Kids
Zinc deficiency could be a part of your kids’ picky-eater problem. Or maybe yours. ;-)
Zinc plays a role in sensory perception, in the taste and smell of food. When this mineral is lacking in the body, it can lead to loss of appetite or disinterest in food.
Kids also need plenty of zinc for proper growth. A deficiency can delay puberty or contribute to short stature. It’s also important for brain development and cognitive skills.
Immune System
If you or your kids catch alllllll the things, you may be low in zinc. Zinc is one piece of the puzzle in helping your immune system function like your national defense system. Your troops loves zinc. They must have sufficient zinc to fight off the enemy pathogens.
Zinc has also been shown to shorten the lifespan of a cold if you catch it early.
Gut
You need enough zinc to make the gastric juices for digestion. If you don’t, you can’t properly break down your food. This leads to digestive, metabolic and overall health problems.
Zinc also enhances gut barrier function. If you have leaky gut issues, you’ll need enough zinc to overcome that. Remember that leaky gut is a major root cause of autoimmune disease. Check out this humdinger of a statement from The Paleo Mom regarding the link between zinc and autoimmune disease:
“Zinc deficiency is arguably the most common micronutrient deficiency in autoimmune disease. It has been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, pemphigus vulgaris, Alzeimer’s disease, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune thyroid disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and type 1 diabetes. In all cases in which supplementation of zinc has been evaluated, benefits have been observed, in some cases including dramatic reversal of the disease.”
Libido
Zinc has been called the “ultimate sex mineral.” Ever heard that oysters are an aphrodisiac? That’s because they are an amazing source of zinc. Zinc is critical for making testosterone. Studies show that women with a greater sex drive have higher levels of testosterone. Low testosterone can lead to low sperm count and erectile dysfunction in men.
Alcohol Detoxification
Have you noticed you can’t handle your alcohol like you used to? I get this comment/question a lot. Not that we should be “handling” large amounts of alcohol but if a glass or two of wine make you feel awful, a piece of that could be zinc deficiency. There’s an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which is a zinc-dependent enzyme, that you need to detoxify alcohol. Zinc deficiency can prevent this enzyme from working. You need an overall healthy liver for proper detoxification but zinc does play a part in this!
Thyroid
Zinc helps the conversion of thyroxine into T3. Thyroxine is the main hormone secreted into the bloodstream by the thyroid gland. Without enough zinc, you run the risk of not being able to convert it into active T3. This can create a host of metabolic problems.
How To Get Zinc
So where do we get zinc? The best sources are from oysters and other shellfish, red meat, poultry, legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds (especially pumpkin, hemp, flax). Zinc is most bioavailable (meaning, available to the body) from animal sources of food. Even if you think you’re getting enough zinc, the body must be able to actually absorb and utilize it. Zinc deficiency is more common among vegetarians and people who consume a lot of grains. Phytic acid, which is found in many cereals and grains, will block zinc from being absorbed in the body.
So if you or your child has a diet heavy in grains, you may not be getting enough zinc.
There’s a simple self-test you can do at home to figure out whether or not you are deficient in zinc and need to supplement to bring your body back up to speed. If you are interested in learning more about how to do this, get my Zinc Self-Test instructions.
One note: it’s important not to supplement with too much zinc otherwise you run the risk of overpowering your body’s ability to absorb copper - another important mineral. Zinc and copper are kind of like frenemies: they need each other but are also competitive in the body. So you don’t want to overdo zinc.
Hope you found this post helpful! Again, an easy way to self-test for zinc deficiency can be found here.