Zinc Deficiency Symptoms and Side Effects

Zinc Deficiency

The research of past 10 – 15 years suggests that zinc deficiency is widespread and affects the health and well-being of populations worldwide. The causes of zinc deficiency fall under two main categories:
1) Nutritional causes such as consumption of food items with either low zinc contents or unavailable forms of zinc.
2) Conditioned (secondary) deficiency related to diseases and genetic malfunctions that impair intestinal absorption and/or increase intestinal loss of zinc.

The burden of diseases related to deficiency of zinc. Zinc deficiency is associated with the many breakdowns in the human body.Following are the Symptoms and Signs of Zinc Deficiency:

Growth Retardation, Arrested Sexual Maturation, Anorexia, Night Blindness, Liver Cirrhosis, Diarrhea, Acrodermatitis Enteropathica, Impaired Taste Acuity, Delayed Wound Healing, Hair Loss, Alopecia, Skin Dryness, Hyperpigmentation of the Skin, Emotional Disturbance, Blood sugar impairments, etc. These are the common symptoms of zinc deficiency.

Zinc Deficiency Side Effects:

• Skin changes, including acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc. (Zinc deficiency has been seen in adult cases of acne and dramatic improvement in skin conditions have been seen with zinc supplementation.)

• Mental disturbances (Alzheimer’s patients given zinc supplementation showed improved memory, understanding, communication and social contact. Zinc deficiency is very common in the elderly.)

• Immune system dysfunction (Zinc and immunity go hand in hand. It has antiviral activity, includes defense again several strains of the common cold, stimulates the production of white blood cells, and helps the production of the thymus hormone, which is directly related to immune function.)

• Diabetes (Zinc balances blood sugar. It helps the pancreas produce insulin and protects receptor sites so the insulin can go in and metabolize the glucose. Zinc also helps pregnant women cope with gestational diabetes.)

• Prostate enlargement (Zinc reduces the size of the prostate as well as the symptoms of BPH – benign prostatic hyperplasia. It also diminishes the frequent urge to urinate and other symptoms associated with BPH.)

• Accumulating toxic metals (The zinc to copper ratio needs to be 15:1. Copper levels become elevated when zinc levels are low, either from vegetarianism, lifestyle, and / or poor diet. When copper levels become elevated, copper toxicity results, which is associated with migraine headaches, damage to the eyes, macular degeneration, preeclampsia, breast cancer, lymphoma, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, leukemia, acne, adrenal gland insufficiency, anemia, PMS, a racing mind, overgrowth of candida, osteoarthritis, and viral infections.)

• Sexual health (Zinc is required for fertility, used in every aspect of male reproduction, and essential during pregnancy. Zinc deficiency is associated with low sperm count and decreased testosterone in men, and pregnancy-related problems in women, such as, spontaneous abortion, toxemia, premature births, delivery problems, retardation, and more.)

• Taste, vision, and smell loss (Zinc maintains vision, taste, and smell. Night blindness occurs often because of zinc deficiency. The elderly most commonly experience a lost of taste and smell, which is associated with zinc deficiency as well.)