Sunday Health Hack No. 11 – Every evening, before you go to bed, take 50mg of Zinc.
I already mentioned the importance of Zinc before in association with the prevention / treatment of COVID-19.
Zinc is a crucial element required for the chemical reactions of over 300 enzymes that aid in metabolism, digestion, nerve function and many other “body” processes.
Zinc is necessary for the proper functioning of our immune system and immune response by boosting the activity of T-cells and other natural killer cells, which help protect your body from infections.
Our body needs zinc for protein synthesis, hormone production and cell division which is essential for our growth and development from infancy to adolescence. Without zinc, we wouldn’t have a sense of taste or smell, and the health of our skin and even our eyes would be severely at stake.
Because this mineral plays various critical roles in collagen synthesis, immune function and inflammatory response, it is necessary for proper wound healing too. In fact, your skin holds a relatively high amount — about 5% — of your body’s zinc content. Which is why zinc is commonly used in hospitals as a standard treatment for burns, ulcers and other skin injuries. Or maybe you remember that your mother put some plain zinc ointment (and a huge colourful patch) on your grazed knees after your first bicycle accident as a kid :-).
The World Health Organization (WHO) assumes that at least one third of our population is affected by a severe zinc deficiency, and even more so with just mild shortcomings and the side effects have not been associated with this – yet.
Until COVID-19 came along. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are impaired smell and taste, fever, cough, sore throat, general weakness, pain as aching limbs, runny nose, and in some cases diarrhoea. Well, these are exactly the same symptoms which may occur when being Zinc deficient.
Scientist also proved that, as zinc deficiency results in altered numbers and dysfunction of ALL immune cells, people with suboptimal zinc levels have a much higher risk for infectious diseases, like SARS or also the influenza virus etc..
The WHO also states that zinc deficiency is responsible for almost 20% of all deep respiratory infections world-wide, which additionally provides another strong link of zinc deficiency and severe progressions of COVID-19.
I mentioned above the importance of zinc for your skin health. But it’s not only your “outer” skin you can see and touch but also your “internal” skin, the tissue around your organs, muscles, glands etc.. And also your “respiratory system”, from the nose to the lungs, exists of multiple natural tissue layers, preventing the entry of all kind of pathogens, which is why again zinc deficiency can be added to the detrimental progression of COVID-19 with many patients.
Zinc is considered an essential nutrient, meaning that our body can’t produce or store it but we have to obtain it through food or supplements.
The problem with our “food” is, that even if you follow an “organic, whole-food” diet, most probably you don’t take in enough minerals in general, not only zinc. Many studies have shown that we’ve totally depleted our soil (through “modern” agriculture methods and over-fertilisation), and our “food” lost 50-70% of its vitamin and mineral content in the last decades.
So, an “organic, whole-food” diet is still highly recommended, but supporting our body and immune system with some extra zinc in supplement form is the best option to be on the safe side.
I talked about it before, and it will be an extra “Sunday Hack” somewhen later too, but our body “regenerates” and “repairs itself” primarily during our sleep. So, supporting this “nightly restoration process” with some extra zinc taken before bed is the best timing.
Fitness Hack – When your exercise you put your immune system under stress (for having it grow stronger afterwards). Minerals are crucial for supporting this recovery process. But minerals are also lost through sweat during exercise, so one needs to emphasize replacing them.
Zinc, besides boosting the immune system, also aids in muscle protein synthesis – the process by which the protein you eat becomes a building block of your muscles (growth). And don’t think “muscles” in terms of “bodybuilders” but regarding muscle preservation. Still, zinc is a crucial mineral for increasing muscle strength and performance.
Extra tip: Not all “zinc” is alike. Most probably the “zinc supplements” you get from the supermarket shelves are cheap “zinc sulphate” products. Please go to your local health store and ask for a “zinc bisglycinate” product which has a great bioavailability. There are other (much) more expensive zinc forms around like “zinc histidine” which might offer a couple of more percent bioavailability but don’t bother. Or don’t let you misguide by “complicated” again more expensive “combinations” of various zinc forms mixed together. No need, keep it simple and straight-forward.
In Germany, a good inexpensive product can be bought on Amazon from “Natural Elements” (no affiliation whatsoever!) – https://amzn.to/3K2TLWr
Sunday Hack No. 11 – take 40-50mg (most often two small tablets of 20-25mg) of zinc bisglycinate in the evening before you go to bed.
In-zinc dreams, Yours Andreas
Sunday Quote
Obviously, none of us is perfect. But let’s try to be slightly less terrible than yesterday. When you keep that up, you eventually get to wherever you want to be!
Sunday Music
One for the night – and some cuddles for your soul having to deal with all these continuous “demands for change” 🙂