Zinc is a mineral that, albeit in small amounts, is needed by the body to carry out vital chemical reactions and maintain good health. We review what happens if you don’t consume enough zinc.
The Harvard Nutrition Source explains that zinc is important in creating DNA, cell growth, building proteins, healing damaged tissue, and supporting a healthy immune system.
zinc deficiency
Zinc deficiency can cause loss of the senses of taste and touch at any age.
In infants and children, zinc deficiency causes diarrhea, growth retardation, and poor appetite. Zinc deficiency also causes hair loss and frequent infections in older children.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) shares that infants and children who have been deficient in zinc may have reproductive problems as adults.
In older adults, zinc deficiency can slow healing and cause problems thinking, reasoning, and remembering.
Food sources of zinc
Meat, poultry, and seafood are high in zinc. Harvard explains that some plant foods like legumes and whole grains are also good sources of zinc, but they also contain phytates that can bind to the mineral and reduce its absorption.
Major sources of zinc:
Raw farmed oriental oysters, 3 ounces provide 32 mg of zinc, equivalent to 291% of the recommended daily intake.
Oysters, Pacific, cooked, 3 ounces provide 28 mg of zinc, equivalent to 256% of the recommended daily intake.
Beef, sirloin roast, 3 ounces provides 3.8 mg of zinc, equivalent to 35% of the recommended daily intake.
Cooked blue crab, 3 ounces provide 3.2 mg of zinc, equivalent to 29% of the recommended daily intake.
Fortified breakfast cereal with 25% of the daily value, one serving provides 2.8 mg of zinc.
Cereals, oats, regular and quick, unenriched, cooked with water, 1 cup provides 2.3 mg of zinc, equivalent to 21% of the recommended daily intake.
Roasted pumpkin seeds, 1 ounce provides 2.2 mg of zinc, equivalent to 20% of the recommended daily intake.
How much zinc is needed
The recommended daily intake of zinc varies by age and whether you are a man or a woman. For adult women it is 8 mg, while for men it is 11 mg.
The upper limit for zinc in adults is 40 mg.
While zinc intake is necessary, taking very high doses of zinc through supplements can be harmful. The NIH notes that signs of excess zinc are nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Excessive and prolonged consumption of zinc can affect the immune system and lower the levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL) and copper. Also, high doses of zinc can cause the body to not absorb enough magnesium.
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