Zinc deficiency: why should we be concerned and how to recognize it?

Protection against cellular aging, strengthening of the immune system, zinc is an essential trace element for being in good shape on a daily basis. However, today it is one of the most common deficiencies.
How do you know if you have a zinc deficiency?

Nutritional zinc deficiency, one of the most common deficiencies

A nutritional zinc (Zn) deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies among adults in France . Men and women are equal when it comes to this health problem.

Zinc, a health ally

Zinc is an element that is only found in trace amounts in our body.

Thus, a human body contains at most only 2 or 3 grams in total. However, this trace element is essential for everyone's good health because it participates in more than two hundred metabolic reactions in the human body.
Thus, it is involved in cellular metabolism, in that of insulin, in the stimulation of immune defenses or even in the synthesis of DNA and certain proteins.

What are the benefits of zinc? Zinc has antioxidant properties. It thus acts against excess free radicals, reducing the risk of developing certain pathologies. Zinc also helps fight against premature aging of cells.

How to identify a zinc deficiency?

Severe zinc deficiencies fortunately remain exceptional.
Most often, these are moderate or slight deficiencies which should not be taken lightly. They are in fact the cause of many disorders such as:

• reduced effectiveness of the immune system in the face of an attack. This can result, for example, in poor healing or reduced resistance to viruses;
• greater susceptibility to respiratory and ENT infections;
• a loss of appetite that sets in over time;
• greater fatigue accompanied in particular by difficulty concentrating or even memorizing;
• nails and hair that become brittle: in fact, zinc participates in the keratin production process. This protein is part of the constitution of hair, nails and hair. A deficiency can result in nails that break easily and less beautiful hair;
• mood disorders;
• skin problems or acne.

All these symptoms are common to many other pathologies. This is why zinc deficiency is difficult to diagnose and often goes unnoticed .

What are the causes of this lack of zinc?

Zinc is a trace element that cannot be synthesized by the human body . The only source therefore comes from the foods on our plate.

Unbalanced diet, intestinal absorption problem, what are the reasons leading to a deficiency? As a reminder, the necessary daily intakes are as follows:

• Adult men: 14 mg/day.
• Adult women: 12 mg/day.
• In children aged 1 to 3 years, the nutritional reference for zinc is 8 mg per day then 11 mg per day for children aged 4 to 9 years.

In pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as the elderly, intakes must be increased.

A diet that does not cover needs

The main cause of a zinc deficiency is first and foremost found in our plate.
Indeed, our diet tends to be less varied and to contain more and more processed foods. The latter are unfortunately too poor in zinc to cover our daily needs.

It is therefore essential to change your eating habits in order to include more foods such as oysters, calf's liver, eggs, all fish and meat in general.

If you have a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are also plant sources containing significant amounts of zinc. This is particularly the case for all whole grains, but also oilseeds and legumes (white beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.).

Less efficient intestinal absorption

Even if you eat foods rich in zinc, this micronutrient still needs to be absorbed by your intestine. However, certain pathologies reduce the intestinal absorption of zinc, effectively causing a deficiency. Over the years, the intestinal absorption of certain nutrients such as zinc may also be reduced.

Furthermore, certain compounds present in our food have a more or less powerful inhibiting power on the passage of Zn through the intestinal wall. This is particularly the case for phytates which bind to the Zn molecule. The whole thing is then no longer recognized by the receptors of the digestive tract and is therefore eliminated as simple waste. Phytates are very present, for example, in wheat germ, oats, nuts and even beans.
People who do not consume meat or fish may therefore have a deficiency.

Food supplement rich in zinc

To meet your daily zinc needs, it would therefore be tempting to completely change your diet to eat more meat and few vegetables. This would obviously be a mistake.

On the other hand, supplementation is the appropriate solution to avoid any deficiency. Taking a food supplement rich in zinc is suitable for all adults because, according to the WHO, “zinc supplementation is considered safe” for users. It is therefore only beneficial for everyone's health.

ZINC is found in 4 Argalys formulas: the MULTI detailed below, but also in VEGAKID (the 'multi' for little ones) and in our two new HAIR/vegetable biotin and SKIN/vegan collagen formulas.
Our “Multivitamins and minerals” supplement is specially formulated to cover 100% of your daily zinc needs. Taking the form of a capsule, its composition also includes many other vitamins and minerals essential for good health every day.
Furthermore, the “Multivitamins and minerals”, like all other products in the Essentials range, is certified Vegan.

Finally, this food supplement rich in Zn should obviously not replace a healthier and more varied diet. Consider taking more time to cook small dishes and favoring seasonal and fresh foods.

Our Essential supplement which covers your daily Zinc intake: MULTIVItamins and Minerals

Multivitamins and minerals
€18 for 60 days of coverage!