Are you zinc deficient? How would you know?  Today I going to discuss the importance of zinc and how low levels of this vital trace element could be contributing to your health problems.

Zinc is the second most abundant trace element in your body…or at least it should be! Iron is the most abundant and copper comes in 3rd behind zinc. These 3 trace elements are all working together and must be in proper balance for your body to work properly. Functional medicine doctors will often test the levels of these nutrients because they are vital to health and well-being. For more information on Iron and Copper see my blog page at napervilleintegratedwellness.com

Ok, so why is zinc so important? It is required for the function of at least 300 different enzymes in your body. Does this sound like a big deal? It is, if you understand the importance of enzymes…and we are not just talking about the ones might be taking to improve your digestion. Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in the body. Without proper enzyme function, your body will struggle to perform the millions of chemical reactions that are occurring in your body every second! It has been estimated that approximately 35 thousand billion billion (no this is not a typo) chemical reactions occur in the human body every second!!! If you enzymes can’t work properly, you simply cannot maintain health. Zinc plays a major role in countless enzyme reactions in the body.

Zinc is also essential for proper gene expression. This means that if you do not have enough zinc, your DNA cannot perform its functions properly. Maybe you have heard about genetics and epigenetics. You are born with genes that control the functions of your cells…diet, nutrients and lifestyle can change the way your genes work; this is called epigenetics. You can modify gene expression by making sure your body has the nutrients it requires. Zinc is one of those nutrients that is essential for proper / healthy gene expression.

We have seen that you need zinc for optimum enzyme function and gene expression. Below are listed some problems we might see in someone who is not getting enough zinc:

• Immune system problems

• Acne  

• Hormone imbalances (men and women)

• Hair loss

• Anemia

• Slow metabolism

• Poor sleep

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Digestion problems

• Poor thyroid function

• Food intolerances

• Leaky gut

• High blood sugar

• Low blood sugar

• Brain-fog

• Heavy metal toxicity

• Decreased sense of taste or smell

I could keep going, but I think you get the point…zinc is a big deal!

Collage of products containing zinc

Dietary sources of zinc include meats, poultry eggs, seafood, legumes, nuts and seeds. For some people it might be difficult to get enough zinc from their diet. Some of these foods interfere with zinc absorption; this includes foods that are high in phytate. Phytate is found in foods like beans, nuts and grains…these foods can have a strong negative effect on zinc and iron absorption.

If you have digestion problems, high stress, high inflammation, hormone imbalances or iron and copper problems you might require supplemental zinc either short-term or long-term. As with any trace element you should test your levels before taking dietary supplements. This is when the help of a functional medicine doctor can be helpful. Taking iron, zinc or copper if it is not needed can lead to unwanted health problems.

I see many trace element imbalances in my office and it is important to identify and correct these imbalances when they are found. For example, I often see anemia in patients and they keep taking iron, but they really have a problem with zinc and copper. If zinc balance is off, then copper tends to go out of balance and then the iron can’t get transported to your bones and make good red blood cells. I have found that my women patients are more likely to have zinc and copper problems than problems with their iron levels.

In functional medicine, we place a tremendous amount of importance on gut health. If your gut is not working well, it will be difficult, if not impossible to improve your health. Zinc is absolutely essential for proper gut health.

Functional medicine seeks to identify the root cause of health problems and restore health; zinc imbalance could be one of your root causes.

                             If you are looking for a functional medicine doctor in Wheaton, Frankfort or Aurora, please contact us today!

If you would like more information about nutrient testing, functional medicine or Dr. Sexton contact our Naperville office or go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information, you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources and organizations.

This approach to healthcare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. Why? The FDA enforces its position that these words can only be used with drugs. This approach does not use drugs.