Home // 6 Benefits of Zinc for Men’s Health
Zinc may be the last entry on an alphabetical list of minerals, but it could be number one when you consider how important it is to men’s health. Clue number one: the prostate gland contains a high concentration of this mineral, and nature didn’t put it there for no reason. Clue number two: zinc has an impact on testosterone levels, and we all know how important that is!
What Is Zinc?
Zinc is an essential trace mineral that is necessary for all cells. Prostate cells, however, accumulate more zinc than cells anywhere else in the body. In addition to the prostate, zinc is found in high concentrations in bone, eyes, kidney, liver, muscles, and pancreas.
Zinc is an active participant in numerous functions and reactions in the body, including immune system function, synthesis of DNA and protein, cell metabolism, wound healing, cell division, a proper sense of smell and taste, and proper growth. It also helps stimulate about 100 different enzymes.
Zinc promotes better brain health. High concentrations of zinc are found in the hippocampus, which is a center for memory and learning in the brain. Healthy zinc levels also may help protect against serious brain diseases such as schizophrenia, Pick’s disease, Wilson’s disease, and epileptic seizures, as well as alcoholism.
Zinc helps with maintaining a healthy heart. Zinc seems to protect against coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy as well as guard against damage to the myocardium (heart muscle).
Zinc’s anti-inflammatory properties, along with its antioxidant characteristics, are beneficial for reducing risk factors associated with atherosclerosis. It supports and promotes natural testosterone levels. Zinc supplementation can boost both total and free testosterone levels.
It can help with your sexual health and libido. The role of zinc in sexual health and libido is partly related to the impact of the mineral on testosterone. That is, the boost in T-levels associated with zinc supplementation can lead to enhanced sexual health and sex drive.
It promotes more endurance and energy. Zinc facilitates the conversion of energy in food into energy for work and physical function to enhance your physical performance.
It can help with your prostate health. There’s increasing evidence that zinc plays an integral role in maintaining prostate health. In fact, the presence of zinc appears to help suppress prostate tumor growth.
Which Foods Provide Zinc?
The one food most associated with zinc is the oyster, which serves up nearly 500 percent of the RDA per 3 ounce serving. Less impressive but still considered excellent to very good sources include crab, fortified cereals, cashews, peanuts, chick peas, kidney beans, baked beans, toasted wheat germ, and chicken.
“Men over 40 should consider zinc supplementation for a variety of reasons including maintaining healthy prostate tissue zinc levels.” Deborah Mitchell
About the Author Deborah Mitchell
Deborah Mitchell is a senior health writer for Prostate.net who has authored, co-authored, and ghostwritten more than 50 health-related books for major publishers.
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