Posted on 12/02/2023 8:30:11 AM PST by Uncle Miltie
Poster's Note: This is a very long article documenting how zinc is Anti: Weight, diabetes, cholesterol, inflammation, oxidation, metabolic syndrome, stroke, atherosclerosis, death, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, cytokines, liver damage, blood vessel damage, kidney damage, etc. I'll post the first dozen paragraphs or so, and you're welcome to follow the link to the extensive article.
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A number of studies have reported that zinc plays a substantial role in the development of metabolic syndrome, taking part in the regulation of cytokine expression, suppressing inflammation, and is also required to activate antioxidant enzymes that scavenge reactive oxygen species, reducing oxidative stress. Zinc also plays a role in the correct functioning of lipid and glucose metabolism, regulating and forming the expression of insulin. In numerous studies, zinc supplementation has been found to improve blood pressure, glucose, and LDL cholesterol serum level. Deeper knowledge of zinc’s properties may help in treating metabolic syndrome, thus protecting against stroke and angina pectoris, and ultimately against death.
Introduction
Zinc (Zn) is one of the most common trace elements in the human body and plays a substantial role in growth and development, acting as a signaling factor [1]. This metal takes part in the regulation of chronic inflammatory status through the reduction of inflammatory cytokines. Zinc also reduces oxidative stress by participating in the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes and acts as a catalyzer of enzymes, taking part in lipid, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism. It is involved in the synthesis, storage, and release of insulin, which suggests the critical role of this microelement in the progression of type-2 diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, and metabolic syndrome (MS) [2,3,4,5].
Studies of zinc concentration in the human body are scarce, and have shown inconsistent results. Zinc deficiency has been observed in patients in some counties with increased oxidative stress and generation of inflammatory status and the decrease concentrations of this element occur in patients with MS [3], in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [6] and with hypertension [7] than in healthy people.
Some studies showed that high concentration of zinc is associated with impaired lipid profile and risk of MS [8,9,10]. In the last study, increase in erythrocyte zinc concentration and high zincuria was observed in patients with MS [11]. Obtained results indicate that zinc is strongly associated with oxidation stress, inflammation, and lipid and glucose status and it can be assumed that zinc status may be a predictor of metabolic disorders.
Taking together, current knowledge reflects the need for a critical overview of the zinc role in metabolic disorders. The proposed review summarizes the advances of the last years (2010–2017), providing new insights into the association between zinc status and inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid, and glucose metabolism.
Zinc status in metabolic disorders
Multiple studies have demonstrated the interaction between obesity and Zn homeostasis. In particular, blood Zn levels were found to be significantly decreased in obese patients [12, 13]. Erythrocyte Zn levels were also shown to be negatively associated with anthropometric markers of obesity like BMI and waist circumference [14]. At the same time, the decrease in serum Zn levels was accompanied by increased urinary concentrations, being indicative of increased Zn excretion in obesity [15]. Low nutritional Zn status in obesity is also associated with aggravation of obesity-related metabolic disturbances like insulin resistance, inflammation, and altered lipid profile [16].
Similarly, short-term (8-week) weight loss in obese women was associated with a significant improvement of serum Zn levels, being negatively associated with body fat percentage [17].
The role of Zn dyshomeostasis in obesity is also confirmed by the results of supplementation trials. In particular, administration of 30 mg/day Zn gluconate for 1 month resulted in a significant decrease in body weight and BMI values as well as serum TG concentrations [18]. Eight-week treatment with 20 mg/day zinc also resulted in a significant decrease in BMI and BMI z score in obese children, although remaining abnormally high. At the same time, Zn supplementation was also associated with improvement of lipoprotein profile (decreased ApoB/ApoA1, oxLDL, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol values) and reduced leptin levels [19].
It is also suggested that zinc deficiency may be an important risk factor of diabetes mellitus II. In several studies, decreased concentration of zinc status was observed in diabetic patients compared to healthy people [20,21,22,23,24,25,26]. Sinha et al. [20] have demonstrated that zinc plasma levels are inversely correlated with glycemic status (HbA1C) in diabetes mellitus, while in patients with MS an association between high zinc concentration in urine (zincuria) and fasting glucose level, glycated hemoglobin level, insulin resistance, and also CRP were found. In one study, inadequate zinc intake was observed and zinc deficiency was suggested in patients with MS [27]. The relation between inadequate zinc intake and raised insulin concentration in blood was also noticed in adolescents [28]. Some recent studies showed that zinc supplementation improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients [29,30,31]. It was also found that zinc supplementation reduced fasting plasma glucose, serum insulin and insulin resistance in gestational diabetes in women [32]. However, in other studies, the association between zinc supply and glucose metabolism and insulin resistance was not confirmed [18, 33].
In our opinion, the association between metabolic disorders and zinc status is mainly mediated by inflammation, oxidative stress, modulation of zinc transporters, and altered lipid and glucose metabolism.
Inflammation
A significant decrease in zinc levels in obese population with inflammatory state was observed. According to research, it increases risk of the development of obesity-related complications. It has been mentioned that zinc takes part in the regulation of proinflammatory cytokines expression through many mechanisms (Fig. 1) [34
So..we need more zinc? Any foods it recommends (I only need the executive summary)
Zinc is very important. Too much is not good though.
Beef.
It’s what’s for dinner.
I take a zinc supplement daily just for the positive effects listed in the article
Pretty soon all foods and beverages will be banned and we can just finish off the Human Race by eating each other.
Food sources of zinc include:
Red meat and poultryBeansNutsCrab, lobster and oysters (Fun fact! Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food – 673% of daily value)Whole grainsFortified breakfast cerealsDairy products
Zinc is the magic bullet.
~ Dr Zev Zelenko
(Rest his soul.)
Well to be fair, they said we can supplement our Soylent Green with bugs. Tasty little grub worms and cockroaches and whatever comes along. So, it's not all doom and gloom.
I was supplementing too heavily with zinc and wound up anemic. I studied up on it and learned about the appropriate dosage and how zinc can deplete your body of copper triggering anemia. I found a supplement (Zinc Balance by Jarrow) that pairs zinc with the appropriate amount of copper. I take it daily at the appropriate dosage.
What dosage was “too heavily” and what now constitues “appropriate” for you?
i didnt read through it- but just wanted to state a few quick facts such as “More is not better” - more than 40 mg daily actually decreases how much copper your body uses- and you can overdose and it can be deadly over a certain amount- 3 grams or something liek that-
also take after eating- not on empty stomach- it will cause nausea if on empty stomach-
if taken for too long it can lower immunity response, decrease good cholesterol, and impair ability to absorb magnesium, a very important mineral-
If lobster, crab and oysters are out of your reach, Canned Tuna is a Healthy Choice.
That’s because all seafood, including tuna, is rich in important nutrients, such as zinc.
Tuna is also rich in vitamins B12 and D, iron, magnesium,
phosphorous, selenium and beneficial omega-3s called EPA and DHA.
Interesting. Would love to read up on that. Do you have a source?
upper for adult is 40 or so- but the recommended intake is around 15-20 - we do get some through chicken, cereals, fish and other things too- which is probably better source than supplements-
He was a true warrior. Working to help the rest of us while he himself was dying. May he rest in peace and the Lord bless and keep his family
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