Zinc
Category: Immunity, Eye Health
Zinc is a nutrient that plays many vital roles in your body. Because your body doesn’t naturally produce zinc, you must obtain it through food or supplements. Zinc is required for numerous processes in your body, including:
- Gene expression
- Enzymatic reactions
- Immune function
- Protein synthesis
- DNA synthesis
- Wound healing
- Growth and development
- Zinc is naturally found in a wide variety of both plant and animal foods.
Benefits
- Zinc is a vital mineral that your body uses in countless ways. Zinc is the second-most-abundant trace mineral in your body — after iron — and is present in every cell.
- Zinc is necessary for the activity of over 300 enzymes that aid in metabolism, digestion, nerve function, and many other processes.
- Zinc is also needed for your senses of taste and smell because one of the enzymes crucial for proper taste and smell is dependent on zinc. The deficiency of zinc can reduce your ability to taste or smell.
- Zinc may significantly reduce your risks of age-related diseases, such as pneumonia, infection, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Zinc relieves oxidative stress and improves immune response by boosting the activity of T-cells and natural killer cells, which help protect your body from infection.
