Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition's Ask a Nutritionist podcast brought to you by Nutrition

Weight and Wellness. I am Brittany Vincent, a registered and licensed dietitian.

And I am here to talk about a powerful mineral

that could be flying under your radar. And that is zinc. So if you're dealing with breakouts,

sugar cravings, or you feel like you're just constantly getting sick, this one is definitely for you. I want to first talk

about what zinc does and why we're often deficient in it. So zinc is an essential trace

mineral, meaning that we only need small amounts, but we need them often.

And here's the catch.

Your body can't actually store zinc in the way it stores minerals like calcium.

It's used constantly for immunity, skin health, digestion, even your mood.

And then it's excreted. So that means that you have to replenish it

daily through food or through supplements. So I want to break down some of zinc's key roles in the

body. It plays a critical role in enzyme function. Zinc is a co-factor for over 300 enzymes in the body,

helping with digestion, nerve communication, cell repair, just to name a few things. I mentioned

immune support earlier and we are nearing cold and flu season. So this might be top of mind for people.

Zinc powers up T cells and macrophages,

which fight off virus and bacteria in the body.

And it can actually shorten the length of a cold when taken early.

And you've maybe heard that, especially during the pandemic, zinc got a little

bit more attention for its immune boosting properties. Growth and development is another key

function of zinc. It's essential for DNA synthesis, especially during pregnancy, childhood,

and adolescence. It offers antioxidant effects.

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