By the amount of content in the human body, zinc is second only to iron. In total in the human body is 2-3 grams of zinc. Its largest amount is concentrated in the liver, spleen, kidneys, bones and muscles. Other tissues with a high content of zinc are eyes, prostate gland, spermatozoa, skin, hair, as well as fingers and toes.
Zinc is in our body mainly in protein-related condition, and its small concentration we find in ionic form. In the body, zinc interacts with about 300 enzymes.
Zinc is involved in many functions of the human body. We list the main:
- Cell division. Zinc is necessary for normal cell division and function.
- The immune system. Zinc is contained in α-macroglobulin - an important protein of the human immune system. Zinc is also necessary for the normal functioning of the thymus (thymus) gland.
- Development. Zinc is necessary for the development of children and for the full maturation of reproductive organs in adolescence. It is also needed for the production of sperm in men and oocytes in women.
- Detoxification of heavy metals. Zinc helps to remove some toxic metals from the body - for example, cadmium and lead.
- Other actions. Zinc is very important for the preservation of vision, sense of taste and smell, for the isolation of insulin, as well as for the absorption and metabolism of vitamin A.
The lack of zinc in the body occurs rarely, but if it occurs, it expresses itself with the following symptoms:
- slow development;
- lack of appetite;
- long healing of wounds;
- baldness;
- a violation of the sense of taste and smell;
- hypogonadism in men;
- frequent infectious diseases;
- skin problems;
- weakness of vision in the dark;
- white specks on the nails.
On the other hand, excess zinc also generates various (sometimes very serious) problems. Let's call them:
- increased cholesterol;
- reduction of iron absorption;
- reduction of copper absorption;
- intestinal colic;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- kidney failure;
- liver damage;
- coma;
- death.
Excessive amounts of zinc, as a rule, supply to the body too large doses of food additives with zinc content. However, in addition to nutrition, there are other ways of getting zinc into the human body.
A high level of zinc was seen in patients undergoing hemodialysis procedures. Zinc poisoning (through evaporation) can also occur in people working with welding machines.
Which products have a lot of zinc?
Foods rich in zinc generally refer to animal origin. Among plant products, zinc-rich are also found, but its bioavailability is low - that is, this zinc is not digested and not used by the body in a satisfactory degree. From the foregoing it follows that a diet made up of plant products will not be rich in zinc.
The products with the highest content of zinc include oysters and mussels. To understand how these products are rich in zinc, we mention the following: only one oyster can cover almost 70% of the daily needs of an adult person in zinc.
Products most rich in zinc (mg / 100 g):
- fresh oysters: 45-75;
- mussels: 21;
- wheat germ, bran: 13-16;
- Brazil nuts: 7;
- red meat: 4,5-8,5;
- cheese "Cheddar": 4;
- peas: 4;
- hazelnut: 3.5;
- egg yolk: 3.5;
- sardines: 3.5;
- lentils: 3,1;
- chicken (dark meat): 2.85;
- walnuts: 2.25;
- bread with bran: 1.65;
- turkish peas: 1.4;
- shrimps: 1.15;
- egg whole: 1.1;
- milk: 0.75.
The recommended amount of zinc depends on the sex of the person and his age, and has the following proportions:
Newborns
- 0-6 months: 2 mg / day;
- 7-12 months: 3 mg / day.
Children and teens
- 1-3 years: 3 mg / day;
- 4-8 years: 5 mg / day;
- 9-13 years: 8 mg / day.
Men's
- 14 years and above: 11 mg / day.
Women
- 14-18 years: 9 mg / day;
- 19 years and above: 8 mg / day.
Note that the highest tolerated dose of zinc is 15 mg / day. During pregnancy, the need for it increases.