From a food standpoint, zinc may be a less familiar dietary mineral than iron or calcium or sodium, but it is no less important to our metabolism or our health. Even a mild dietary deficiency of zinc can have far-reaching health implications. Immunity, reproduction, skin health, and vision are just some of the areas that can be affected.
The importance of this mineral to multiple body systems makes it even more important for us to get an adequate amount of zinc in our daily diet. This task can be a very challenging one.
1. Immune Function
Diets low in zinc can induce measureable reductions in the activity of the immune system. These reductions occur relatively quickly—in as few as four weeks after starting a low-zinc diet—and are reversible upon getting zinc back into the body.
2. Skin Health
Researchers have been able to induce acne symptoms in young men by feeding them diets deficient in zinc. This effect occurs surprisingly quickly, with one research group demonstrating a significant change in skin health within 12 days of depleted zinc foods. Other researchers have been able to demonstrate a number of other skin and related symptoms, including facial rash, foot fungus, and canker sores. Again, each of these changes was reversed when zinc was brought back into the diet.
3. Sensory Organs
Acute depletion of zinc can causes loss of the sense of taste and appetite. The level of zinc deficiency necessary to cause these changes appears to be more severe than the immune system changes reported above, and is often related to another factor such as cancer treatment or anorexia.
Zinc is also critical to vision. Although we don't currently know how much of age-related vision loss is due to zinc deficiency, researchers have shown that zinc levels in the retina (the part of the eye that sees light) decline in tandem with vision loss.
4. Male Reproductive Health
Advanced deficiency of zinc can impair motility and number of sperm. Even brief periods of severe zinc deficiency can lead to measurable changes in sperm composition and quantity.
Food Sources
The approved nuts and seeds, together with garbanzo beans, are rich in zinc. Sesame seeds and squash seeds rank in the top 10 foods sources for this mineral. Mushrooms and amaranth are very good plant-food sources of zinc. Among whole grains, quinoa is your best zinc source.
Like other minerals, zinc in foods is remarkably stable to shelf storage. In fact, your foods will go bad long before the zinc content changes in any relevant way. Soaking garbanzo beans, seeds, and quinoa for several hours, then allowing sprouts to form, may significantly improve zinc bio-availability from these foods.
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