Zinc, The Essential Trace Mineral With Big Benefits

Jun 6th 2024 Perfect Team

Zinc is an essential trace mineral, but don’t let that word “trace” diminish the importance zinc plays in our health.

Let’s do a quick Q&A to learn more about zinc…

What Role Does Zinc Play in My Body?

Batman had Robin, Han Solo had Chewy, Shrek had Donkey… everyone needs a good sidekick!

You can think of zinc as the ultimate health sidekick. It may not be directly and solely responsible for a large list of health benefits, but it plays a key role in helping the body stay healthy in numerous ways.

In fact, zinc is a co-factor for over 300 enzyme processes in the body, including things like DNA synthesis and repair. While it may not get the spotlight, zinc certainly deserves an Oscar for best supporting actor!

Here are some things Zinc helps with…

Plays a Key Role in Promoting a Healthy Immune System*
Provide A Powerful Antioxidant That Can Boost Your Body’s Natural Defenses*
Helps Protect Cells from Damage Caused By Free Radicals*
Helps Promote Blood Sugar Management*
Helps Shorten Wound Healing Times*
Aides in Protein and DNA Production*
Needed to Activate Over 300 Enzymes*
Helps Fight Acne*
Works to Maintain Strong Eye Health and Protect Against Vision Loss*
Potential Protective Effect on Memory As We Age*

What foods are rich in Zinc?

Here are some foods that provide a good amount of zinc…

Guava Leaves
Oysters
Red Meat
Poultry
Shrimp
Cheese
Pumpkin Seeds

How Much Zinc Should I Get From my Diet?

While amounts can vary from person to person, here is a chart showing the Daily Value amounts as recommended by the National Institutes of Health -

Is There An Upper Limit of How Much Zinc I Should Consume?

Again, here is what the National Institutes of Health says on this question -

There are many different views on this and you should do your own research and consult with your doctor before starting any supplementation program.

Can I Get My Zinc from a Multi-Vitamin or Supplement?

You can, you just need to be careful in choosing your zinc supplement.

Almost all multi-vitamins are made with synthetic ingredients. We are big believers in getting nutrients from Mother Nature… not an industrial lab!

We will fully disclose our bias here. We make the Perfect ZinCerola, a 100% USDA Organic supplement that provides zinc exclusively from guava leaves, with no synthetic ingredients. You can read more about it here.

Here are the top 3 reasons why we think taking a zinc supplement made from food is the best way to go –

Better absorption when the feeding the body food instead of synthetics
The synergistic effect – getting all the phytonutrients from Guava leaves, not just zinc
USDA Organic certified – no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers

Great, If I Take Your Zinc Supplement I Don’t Need to Worry About My Diet?

If only life was this easy ☺

Supplements are just that – something to supplement your diet. We strongly encourage everyone to eat a healthy and nutrient dense diet. Our supplements are made from foods and look to provide some key natural nutrients that may be hard to get in your standard diet.

The body is a very complex system and keeping the proper balance of nutrients is important. For example, you want to make sure you have copper in your diet, especially when supplementing with Zinc. This is why we recommend pairing the Perfect ZinCerola with a diet rich in beef liver or our Perfect Desiccated Liver, as beef liver is a good natural source of copper.

As everyone has a different diet and metabolism, it can be helpful to work with a nutritionist or dietician, have your mineral levels checked and come up with a plan that is perfect for you.

Anything Else I Should Know Before Getting More Zinc into My Diet?

As we said in the opening, zinc is an incredible sidekick, acting as the Robin to over 300 Batman enzyme processes.

Of course, we all know from Spider Man, with great power comes great responsibility…

Okay, we will stop mixing the superhero metaphors and get to the point.

Zinc is an extremely important trace mineral, but before starting any supplementation program you should always consult with your doctor or health care practitioner. They will be able to help with things like determining if there are any interactions with medications you are taking, the proper dosage, making sure your nutrients are in balance and any conditions you have that might be an issue for zinc supplementation.