Zinc … Wonderful stuff! Helps the body block out viruses, reduces inflammation, improves immunity. So if a little bit is good, a lot more will be great? NO. Zinc overdose you do not want — for many reasons.
By Dona Suri
Zinc is used to galvanize iron and steel to prevent rusting; it is alloyed with lead and tin to make solder (metal with low melting point used to join electrical components, pipes, etc) and alloyed with copper to make brass. Zinc oxide is used in paints, rubber, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, inks, soaps, batteries, textiles and electrical equipment; zinc sulfide is used in luminous paints, fluorescent lights and x-ray screens.
Zinc is also one of the metals that are essential for our normal biological functions.
[Other main metals: iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, copper, manganese & cobalt.]
Zinc is the second most abundant trace metal in humans after iron and the only metal which appears in all enzyme classes.
The average human body contains about 2.5 grams and takes in about 15 milligrams per day. Zinc forms the active site in more than 20 metalloenzymes. These zinc-based metalloenzymes are required for:
Zinc oxide has been used as a medicine since the days of the ancient Greeks. They used it to treat wounds. Zinc oxide is still a popular over-the-counter skin treatment.
It can defend against sunburns by reflecting and scattering ultraviolet rays so they do not penetrate the skin. It is also used to treat inflamed skin conditions like burns, eczema, bedsores, and diaper rash. The compound forms a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, repelling moisture and allowing the skin to heal. It may also aid enzymes to break down damaged collagen tissue so that new tissue can be formed. It is free of side-effects.
Zinc gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as zinc supplements were frequently prescribed. The reason zinc helped was that it made the mucosa of nose and throat a stronger barrier to the corona virus and, for those who were infected with the virus, zinc reduced inflammation. Zinc works against the corona virus and it works against the virus that causes the common cold too. It has long been known that zinc improves immunity.
Indians, Pakistani and Sri Lankans have the lowest daily intake of zinc globally; on a daily basis, Americans get twice the amount of zinc consumed in South Asia.
Zinc is taken up from the soil by plants and further concentrated when plants are eaten by animals. Shellfish are rich in zinc. In fact, oysters are packed with it. They have the highest zinc concentration of any food: 6 medium-sized oysters provide 32 milligrams. Eat ten oysters and you won’t need another atom of zinc for the next seven days.
Meat and eggs are good sources of zinc. Vegetarians can get sufficient zinc from –>
Zinc can interact with some medications. Take the wrong medicine and a zinc supplement and the result is that the body absorbs neither the medicine nor the zinc.
Don’t mix:
* Oral zinc and antibiotics of the quinolone or tetracycline types. Taking the antibiotic two hours before or four to six hours after taking zinc can minimize this effect.
* Oral zinc and penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen). Zinc neutralizes this rheumatoid arthritis drug. Taking zinc at least two hours before or after taking the drug might minimize this effect.
* Zinc supplements with thiazide diuretics. These blood pressure drugs increase the amount of zinc lost in urine
Talk to your doctor about the right spacing between the dose of zinc-containing supplements and other medicines that you may be taking. This will reduce any chances of interaction between ongoing medicines
Zinc and alcohol: Alcohol reduces the amount of zinc the body absorbs and increases the amount that is lost in urine.
Do NOT take supplemental zinc without first checking the zinc level in your body.
Do NOT overdose yourself with zinc. Too much zinc will result in nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Too much zinc for a long time will lower your good cholesterol and depress the levels of iron, copper and magnesium in your body.
Your body needs the RIGHT AMOUNT of zinc – neither more nor less. The recommended daily intake for an adult man is 9.5 mg and for a woman it is 7 mg.
The body does not store zinc; every day it is taken from food, absorbed through the small intestine and excreted in the feces. If you are eating a healthy balanced diet and do not suffer from any metabolic disorder, you are unlikely to have a zinc deficiency.