You might be familiar with the benefits of zinc for fighting the common cold, but there is much more to this important mineral.

Everyone needs zinc.  This mineral is involved in many bodily processes including manufacturing DNA and healing wounds.  It plays a crucial role in the growth and cell division, where it is required for protein and DNA synthesis, in insulin activity, and in liver function.  Unfortunately, a very large number of people are not getting enough of this important nutrient through their diets.

Men have a particular requirement for zinc since it is an antioxidant mineral that is important in protecting sperm against free radical attack.  Did you know that semen is high in zinc?  In fact, a sperm ejaculation contains 5mg of zinc, suggesting that it plays a very important role in sperm health. 

For men, a lack of zinc could cause swelling of the prostate gland, which slows sperm traveling up from the testes.  For very sexually active men, they may be losing much of their zinc when they ejaculate, making zinc supplementation even more important.

Zinc is present in a wide variety of foods, particular sources of protein.  In addition, dairy products, beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals contain zinc.  It is difficult to get enough zinc from diet alone since only 20 percent of the zinc present in the diet is actually absorbed by the body.

To ensure you are getting enough zinc, consider adding a supplement to your daily supplement intake.  Zinc is available from your local health store or click here to purchase from Physician’s Preference.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 3:33 pm and is filed under Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.