3 minWith a busy lifestyle, it is especially important to take good care of your health. Stress, an unbalanced or unhealthy diet, or increased nutritional needs can prevent you from getting enough nutrients. This can also lead to a zinc deficiency. The right diet helps you stay balanced.
In this blog, we explain the role zinc plays in various processes in the body and give you four important reasons to prevent a zinc deficiency.
In this article, you will read
- What zinc does for your body
- Why some people need more zinc
- The consequences of a zinc deficiency
- How you can prevent a zinc deficiency
Zinc deficiency and risk groups
Zinc is a trace element. Trace elements are nutrients that we need in smaller quantities. So you would think that you would not easily become deficient in zinc. However, a number of groups of people are at risk of zinc deficiency, including: people with stomach and intestinal disorders, people with liver or kidney disease, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. This is because they have a higher zinc requirement than others.
Zinc and the immune system
We often think of vitamins C and D when we talk about the immune system and resistance. But did you know that, in addition to these vitamins, zinc is an important nutrient for your immune system?
Zinc inhibits the production of cytokines that can cause inflammation in the body. If your body's zinc reserves are low or insufficient, cytokines are more likely to weaken the immune system.
Zinc and fertility
Several vitamins and minerals are important when you want to become pregnant. Zinc is one of them and is important for the fertility of both men and women. Zinc influences a number of hormones, including testosterone. Both men and women need this hormone. In men, zinc also influences the number of sperm cells. Zinc is important for optimal sperm production, which is necessary to fertilise a female egg cell.
Zinc and low mood and depression
Did you know that zinc is important for the production of serotonin? You know, our happiness hormone. Together with vitamins B, C and magnesium, zinc helps with tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin in the body. A serotonin deficiency can cause symptoms ranging from low mood to depression.
Zinc and skin rashes
Zinc stimulates cell division, which helps the skin to repair itself. If the cells cannot divide due to a lack of zinc, your skin can become dry or irritated.
Preventing zinc deficiency
A healthy and varied diet is, of course, the number one way to prevent zinc deficiency. Zinc is a trace element, which means that it is not found in large quantities in our diet. It is found in small amounts in meat, shellfish, cheese, grain products and nuts, among other things.
For people with an increased zinc requirement, supplementation is important to prevent zinc deficiency.
