Posts Tagged ‘zinc heart’
Studies Show Taking Calcium May Deplete Zinc – Both Minerals Help Insomnia
Posted on: January 6, 2015
Consuming extra calcium from dairy products or supplements could put older women at risk of low zinc — unless they get extra zinc, too. That’s the word from two studies at the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Research Center in Boston.
Zinc’s many functions include helping to maintain a healthy immune system, skin and appetite.
Calcium supplement sales have soared with the growing awareness that high intakes of this mineral help prevent osteoporosis. Richard J. Wood and associates looked for a zinc-calcium interaction in elderly women because, as a group, they tend to have low zinc intakes.
About half of U.S. women consume less than two-thirds the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 12 mg, according to survey data. And the amount of zinc people absorb from their meals decreases with age.
In one of the new studies, 18 relatively healthy women past menopause increased calcium intake to 1,360 milligrams daily — a little higher than the 1,200 mg now recommended for people over age 50. Their zinc absorption dropped by an average of about 2 milligrams. This happened regardless of whether they got the extra calcium from milk or from a calcium supplement. The study lasted 36 days.
In a second study, zinc absorption dropped by half when a group of 10 men and women took a calcium supplement with a single test meal. But adding nearly 8 milligrams of zinc to the calcium supplement offset this effect.
This data points in the direction that people taking extra calcium should also increase their zinc intake. The richest dietary sources of zinc are oysters, liver and beef, followed by whole grains, nuts, popcorn, poultry and lamb. Zinc supplements are also widely available.
Comments from the blog author Nutrition Breakthroughs: Calcium is directly related to our cycles of sleep. In one study, published in the European Neurology Journal, researchers found that calcium levels in the body are higher during some of the deepest levels of sleep, such as the rapid eye movement (REM) phase.
The study concluded that disturbances in sleep, especially the absence of REM deep sleep or disturbed REM sleep, are related to a calcium deficiency. According to Lawrence Wilson, MD zinc is also considered a “sedative mineral” due to its effect on the central nervous system. It can help reduce excessive brain activity. This makes zinc, along with calcium and magnesium, one of the best insomnia remedies.
This news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs. Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has provided natural health articles and effective natural remedies. Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that get results and help people to avoid drugs and their side effects.
Since 2009, their natural sleep remedy Sleep Minerals II has been keeping that promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia with absorbable calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and zinc, and helping everyone from teenagers, to women with menopause symptoms, to those with restless leg syndrome, to get a good night’s sleep.
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Article Source: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1998/980120.htm#
Researchers have identified zinc as one of the most important essential trace metals in human nutrition and lifestyle in a new review article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Zinc is not only a vital element in various physiological processes; it is also a drug in the prevention of many diseases.
The adult body contains about two to three grams of zinc. It is found in organs, tissues, bones, fluids, and cells. Foods with high protein content, specifically animal protein, are major sources of zinc in the human diet. Zinc can also be used as fortification for other foods as well. Nearly half of the world’s population is at risk for inadequate zinc intake. The article reviewed numerous studies that showed a relationship between zinc and vital human physiological processes such as the following:
Brain: The blood zinc level is less in patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (Brewer, and others 2010).In a rodent study, it was observed that zinc behaves like an antidepressant (Nowak and others, 2005).
Cardiovascular System: Zinc performs a noteworthy role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure. Males and females were reported to metabolize zinc differently when suffering from hypertension (Tubek, 2007).
Liver: Zinc deficiency in the liver occurs not only in those with liver cirrhosis, but also in less advanced alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease (Bode and others, 1998).
Pregnancy: A mild deficiency of zinc during a pregnancy can cause increased maternal diseases, abnormal taste sensation, prolonged pregnancy duration, inefficient labor, and an increased risk to fetuses (Jameson, 1993).
Diabetes: Zinc is very important in the synthesis, storage, and secretion of insulin (Chausmer 1998). A low level of zinc has been shown to play a role in diabetics with associated disease conditions such as coronary artery disease and several related risk factors including hypertension, and elevated levels of fats in the blood (Singh and others, 1998).
Endocrine System: Studies show a correlation between zinc deficiency in geriatric (elderly) patients and reduced activity of the thymus gland, decreased response to vaccinations, and reduced immunity (Haase and Rink, 2009).
Healing: Zinc deficiency has been linked with delayed wound healing, and has been found to be crucial to the healing of gastric ulcers especially at the early stage (Kennan and Morris, 1993; Andrews and Gallagher-Allred, 1999; Watanabe, 1995).
Pneumonia: Zinc may shorten the duration of severe pneumonia and time in the hospital (Brooks, 2004).
This news is provided to you by http://Nutrition Breakthroughs. Since 2001, Nutrition Breakthroughs has provided health articles and effective natural remedies. Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that work well and help people avoid drugs and their side effects.
Since 2009, their natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II has been keeping that promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia and helping everyone from teenagers, to women with menopause symptoms, to older seniors, to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep Minerals II contains highly absorbable forms of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and zinc. For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit this web site.
Article Source: Eight ways zinc affects the human body — ScienceDaily.
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