Zinc Facts | Symptoms of Zinc Deficiency

Identifying zinc facts from fiction is important if one wants to achieve the full zinc health benefits. Symptoms of zinc deficiency include both mental (e.g., depression, anxiety, ADHD) and physical symptoms and the solution is to eat foods high in zinc, avoid foods, chemicals and toxins that compete with zinc and the use of zinc supplements.

Zinc Health Benefits

Zinc is an essential trace mineral that is second only to iron in quantity in the body. It is necessary for the growth and development of all living organisms and a zinc fact is that it is a cofactor for more than 300 known enzymes. Without zinc, these enzymes will be unable to form resulting in significant ramifications across the whole body.

Zinc is present in all the body tissues but is found largely in the liver, pancreas, kidney, bone and muscles, with smaller concentrations in the eye, prostate, fingernails, hair and skin. Zinc has multiple roles in the body including:

• Improving mood through its role in producing an enzyme called dopamine hydroxylase that makes the mood lifting neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline.

• Prostate gland function and growth of the reproductive organs.

• Enhancing the immune system, thereby aiding in fighting disease and healing wounds.

• Assisting in the activity of various hormones such as insulin, growth hormone and hormones produced by the thymus.

• Regulating the skin's oil gland function.

• Synthesising proteins and the forming of collagen.

• Enhancing the acuity of taste and smell.

• Protecting the liver from chemical damage.

• Activating digestive enzymes to help break down and digest food better.

• Assisting the body in detoxifying heavy metal toxins like mercury by helping an enzyme called metallothionein.

• Forming bone and the skeletal system.

• Regulating testosterone in the prostate.

Foods High in Zinc

Zinc is best derived from natural, unprocessed foods and is found in the following foods:

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sunflower seeds

• Seafood

• Brewer's yeast

• Animal protein such as lamb, beef, liver

• Mushrooms

• Whole grains

• Wheat bran

• Soybeans

Causes of Zinc Deficiency

An alarming zinc fact is that it is estimated that more than one third of the world’s population is zinc-deficient. The most common cause of zinc deficiency is an unbalanced diet comprising high grains and cereals and low intake of animal protein. Deficiencies in zinc are also associated with the following:

• Excess iron, calcium, copper or cadmium intake can decrease the absorption of zinc.

• Excessive long-term alcohol intake will decrease absorption and increase the excretion of zinc.

• Compounds high in phytates can bind with zinc preventing it from being absorbed. Examples of high phytate foods include cereal grains, legumes, and nuts such as linseed, tofu, soybeans, corn, peanuts, kidney beans, rye, oat bran, wheat and barley.

• Excess fibre consumption can cause zinc to be excreted through the intestinal tract.

• Excessive sweating or chronic diarrhoea can excrete zinc from the body.

• Preschool-aged children, vegetarians, athletes with low zinc intake, the elderly, pregnant women and woman taking oral contraceptives are at increased risk of zinc deficiency.

• People suffering from chronic infections, renal disease, cardiovascular disease and digestive illnesses such as Crohn's or celiac disease increases susceptibility to zinc deficiency.

Symptoms of Zinc Deficiency

Because of its varied roles in the body zinc deficiency can affect multiple bodily systems including the brain, skeleton, eyes, heart, gastrointestinal tract, and the lungs. Some common symptoms of zinc deficiency include:

• Sleep problems

• Mental health problems such as depression, eating disorders and schizophrenia

• Poor concentration and attention

• Depressed growth

• Poor immune function

• Slow wound healing

• Skin problems such as psoriasis, dandruff and acne

• Decreased sense of taste and smell

• Mouth ulcers

• Delayed sexual maturation

• Memory impairment

• Recurrent colds and flu

• White coating on the tongue

• Abnormal fatigue and mental lethargy

• Poor night vision

• Impaired glucose tolerance

• Reduced appetite

• Menstrual disturbances

• Delayed sexual maturation

• Unhealthy changes in the size and structure of the prostate gland

• White spots on the fingernails

• Brittle, thin or peeling nails

• Alopecia

• Impotence

• Eye and skin lesions

The above zinc facts hopefully will help you determine whether zinc deficiency could be a possible cause or contributor of your mental health problems. The list of symptoms of zinc deficiency are large because it has a number of roles in the body with nutritionists commonly claiming that there are numerous zinc benefits

For information about the assessment and treatment of zinc deficiency click here.