Dietary minerals are chemical elements required by living organisms. They can be either bulk minerals (required in relatively large amounts, macro minerals, grams or milligrams per day) or trace minerals (required only in very small amounts, micro or pico grams) Appropriate intake levels of each dietary mineral must be sustained to maintain physical health. Excessive intake of a dietary mineral may either lead to illness directly or indirectly because of the competitive nature between mineral levels in the body. So be careful how many rocks you eat and keep the kids away from the lead paint on the wall. Feed them Gummi bears instead.  Sometimes minerals are added to the diet separately from food, as vitamin and mineral supplements and in dirt eating, called pica or geophagy.

 Essential  Pronunciation: ĕs`sĕn´sjal  or i-sen-chl a :basic and fundamental  a: being a substance that is required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be included in the diet  s :absolutely required and not to be used up or sacrificed  s :of the greatest importance  s :absolutely necessary; vitally necessary   n :anything indispensable ie don't leave home without it....More important than Gummi Bears...

Why it Is essential and What does it do?:  Zinc is an essential element, necessary for sustaining all life. It is estimated that 3000 of the hundreds of thousands of proteins in the human body contain zinc. Zinc is one of the most important mineral nutrients and is necessary for the proper function of over 200 enyzmatic reactions in the body. It also acts as a potent antioxidant and detoxifier, and is essential for growth and development, healthy body tissues, regulation of insulin, proper immune function, and, in men, the heath of the prostate gland. In addition, zinc plays a vital role in cellular membrane structure and function, and helps maintain adequate levels of vitamin A in the body.

There are documented and anecdotal benefits from a number of studies of adequate Zinc Intake for the following serious health issues which affect many Americans.

• Acne

• Alcoholism

• Alopecia (hair loss)

• Alzheimer's disease

• Anorexia nervosa

• Atopic dermatitis

• Benign prostatic hypertrophy

• Cervical dysplasia

• Common cold

• Crohn's disease

• Diabetes

• Epilepsy

• Graves' disease

• Herpes simplex

• HIV/AIDS

• Infertility (male)

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Influenza

• Macular degeneration

• Osteoarthritis

• PMS

• Psoriasis

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Seborrheic dermatitis

• Senile cataracts

.What form is it best consumed? The best and most abundant natural food source of zinc is oysters. See our Recipe of the Month! Zinc is found in most animal proteins such as beef, pork and poultry. Other food sources of zinc include beans, nuts, whole grains, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Phytates, which are found in whole grain breads, cereals, legumes and other products, have been known to decrease zinc absorption. This, coupled with the fact that the human body absorbs zinc more easily from animal protein than from plant protein means that vegetarians are required to eat many more food sources containing zinc than non-vegetarians.  Recently, national dietary surveys in the U.S. estimated that the average dietary zinc intake was 9 mg/day for adult women and 13 mg/day for adult men.

Forms of Supplements:

Zinc cannot usually be absorbed into the body unless it is first linked up with other substances. For this reason, many supplement manufacturers have produced dietary supplements containing zinc in what is referred to as "chelated" form. "Chelated" means connected with another molecule.

In the case of zinc, the most common chelates fall into two categories. The first category is organic acids. These chelates include picolinic acid, orotic acid, citric acid and gluconic acid. The second category is amino acids. This category includes methionine, monomethionine, and aspartic acid. When supplements contain zinc in these chelated forms, the supplement label will usually read: zinc picolinate, zinc orotate, zinc gluconate, zinc monomethionine, and so forth.

Supplemental zinc is also available in what is called inorganic form. Here zinc is provided in a non-chelated form, usually as zinc sulfate or zinc oxide. These are not recommended forms of Zinc.

How much is needed?  Recently, national dietary surveys in the U.S. estimated that the average dietary zinc intake was 9 mg/day for adult women and 13 mg/day for adult men. The major consequence of long-term consumption of excessive zinc is copper deficiency. Total zinc intakes of 60 mg/day (50 mg supplemental and 10 mg dietary zinc) have been found to result in signs of copper deficiency. In order to prevent copper deficiency, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board set the tolerable upper level of intake (UL) for adults at 40 mg/day, including dietary and supplemental zinc.  Most multivitamins contain 10-20mg of Zinc, so this should cover the Dietary Reference Intake of  11mg for men and 9 mg for women.

Inside Outside Recommendation

Item 774 Life Extension Mix 490's.  A fine Multivitamin, Contains 17.5mg of Zinc.   Dose is 7 Caps per day. 

$75.00 Lasts 2 Months  See Dawn to Order!

Zinc, Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient Information Center

NUTRIENT DATA LABORATORY

Search the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

 The Institute of Medicine in their Dietary Reference Intake Book and tables

Next month Magnesium!

METALS IN NUTRITION