Zinc

Have you ever considered the small pro-active changes you could make to improve your overall well-being? Quite often, it’s the smallest elements like the mineral zinc, that can have the most significant impacts. Zinc isn’t recognized enough as a powerhouse mineral that has a wide range of vital functions. It supports the immune system, promotes wound healing, and it’s crucial for healthy bones, skin, and vision.

Zinc also acts as an antioxidant by protecting cells from oxidative stress. But that’s not all! Zinc triggers over 200 different enzymes present in virtually every cell of your body. These enzymes are essential for immune function, energy production, bone metabolism, thyroid health, protein digestion, and more. Zinc is also important for the synthesis of proteins and the genetic material DNA. This tiny mineral really does play a huge role in keeping us healthy. While zinc’s benefits are crucial for everyone, there are a few functions of zinc that might be of particular interest to men. 

So, why should men focus on increasing their zinc intake?

Firstly, zinc promotes healthy prostate function. In fact, it’s one of the most important nutrients for prostate health. Zinc can help reduce the risk of developing an enlarged prostate and can also help reduce its size due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Secondly, zinc promotes healthy muscles and bones. Muscle wise, whether you’re looking to bulk up or just want to maintain strength, zinc is vital. It supports protein synthesis for muscle growth and helps to keep our bones strong as we age. 

Thirdly, zinc facilitates hormone regulation. It plays a role in the production of testosterone, a key hormone that influences everything from mood and libido to muscle mass in men. 

Fourthly, zinc supports mental health. More and more research is showing that there’s a link between zinc and mental health, supporting cognitive function and potentially helping with stress and mood regulation.

Lastly, zinc promotes strong, healthy hair. This can be a concern for some men as they age and their hairlines begin to recede, so yes, zinc can also contribute to healthy hair growth. Pretty neat how this little mineral does so much for us, right? Now if you’re wondering how to up your zinc game, you can find it in foods like red meat, poultry, seafood, whole grains, dairy products and legumes. Oysters in particular, are one of the richest food sources of zinc available.

You can get breakfast cereals, snack bars, some nutrition bars that are also often fortified with zinc. Healthier sources of zinc-containing foods would be those not high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

You can also take zinc supplements or a good quality multi-V that has zinc in them. According to the Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board, adult men ages 19 and over should aim to take a minimum of 11 mg of zinc a day, no more than 40 and yes that goes for us women too.

So, there you have it! Being proactive with such a small change like this could have a big impact on your health.