Personal Note:
To all of you celebrating over this month’s election,
I say congratulations.
I trust you will watch for the results from your choice.
For those of you grieving over the same election, I offer sympathy,
and the time-old solace that “this too shall pass.”
Finally, for all of us, I suspect that being able to communicate
with those holding different viewpoints,
without wishing to strangle them,
is another key for Aging with Pizzazz.
—
Dr. Fuhrman, one of my professors, used to say, “people most often get sick when it starts to get cold outside, or when it starts to get warm.” He had a theory behind this no doubt, but all I remember is the declaration.
Late in the year, drug stores post signs about flu season and commercials for cold remedies proliferate. Mostly, we hope to avoid all such symptoms since even a ‘simple cold’ can have an out-sized effect on us as we age. Additionally, nowadays our fears are exacerbated with Covid still in the mix. It’s not always easy to know what works to combat such illness (if anything) or what is simply a waste of effort or money.
The Role of Zinc
The essential mineral, Zinc, according to the Mayo clinic, can reduce the length of a cold. Nevertheless, there are still the questions of how much, how long, what kind and is it right for me.
Surprise, surprise, it can be a bit complex. My husband uses zinc to aid testosterone effects in breast tissue. He takes it daily. But I have a tendency toward mild anemia and zinc can interfere with iron. So, my balance of iron (and copper) with zinc is a bit tricky. I should not take zinc everyday like he currently does. Additionally, I often take OTC allergy tabs (herbal remedies have not worked well enough for me) and some of those products also interfere with zinc.
Luckily, both my husband and I have diets with a fair amount of fiber. But…. you guessed it, too much fiber can reduce zinc and its benefits. It’s that notorious fine line.
Fine Line of Important Zinc Intake
A few years ago, I wrote about zinc in relationship to nausea. In a recent conversation, a friend quickly zeroed in on that when I mentioned my use. “I can’t take zinc, it makes me want to puke,” she graphically explained. It made me want to repeat and highlight a few points I’ve previously made on Aging with Pizzazz.
Those in my household, and some family members who have shared their experiences when taking a zinc lozenge before a suspected cold, have felt nauseated like my friend above. Sometimes it’s accompanied by indigestion. Other sources have listed side-effects of headaches, diarrhea and vomiting with high doses of zinc.
Below you will find my ‘keys’ to avoid this reaction. But first I want to touch on zinc in our food.
Zinc in our Diet
Zinc is an essential TRACE mineral, so we don’t need much. But it’s vital that we get it (that’s the “essential” part). Indeed, it’s possible to get it from food. Yet, it is crucial to our health and it’s also possible to not get adequate amounts from your diet.
I believe that over consumption of zinc (obtained from phytonutrients) in food is rare. The synergy of natural and various (balanced) foods ensures that it would be difficult to over-do zinc in our diet. As such, there’s little draw-back or worry about overdosing on zinc from food sources. We can’t always say the same for supplements.
For more information on food sources and why junk foods (increasing phosphorus) are particularly bad while taking zinc, review those sections at the previous post Zinc – Necessity or Nauseating (https://agingwithpizzazz.com/zinc-necessity-or-nauseating/)
Keys to Make Certain Benefits Outweigh the Risk of Zinc
Zinc is necessary, so how do we strike a balance in using it, abusing it, or consuming it solely through our diet?
- My personal opinion is that any supplement (or intake) over 150 mg/day is “excessive,” not just high, but excessive. (Common recommendations for adult zinc doses are 8-11 mg/day: lower levels for women, upper for men. National Institute of Health lists upper level of daily use as 40 mg.)
… - When taking a high dose of zinc for temporary and preventative purposes, still avoid excess as a precaution. 150 mg is excess, versus something similar to my high-dose 50 mg lozenge.
… - As a general rule, do NOT consume zinc on an empty stomach.
… - Try to avoid taking high-doses of zinc if symptoms are clearly related to a recent pollen-overload or allergy attack, and not the onset of a cold.
… - Maintain a diet with lots of nuts, seafood and plant food, thus high level of phytonutrients. Avoid daily junk food and sugary soda, which will increase the detrimental phosphorus and inhibit zinc.
For more details, including why we need Zinc, how it helps the body, reduces certain diseases, or surprising facts like Zinc is an element in more than 100 Enzymes, read the entire article Zinc–Necessity or Nauseating? here.] Included there is detailed information on behavior of different types of zinc, as well as food sources of the mineral, drug reactions, counterindications of medicines and special conditions for certain folks.
FINAL THOUGHT
I plan to keep zinc lozenges in my cabinet for those times I suspect a cold coming on – just as an insurance policy. I’ll consume the moderately-high dose (usually sub-lingual) product on a full stomach. We will also purchase multi-tabs with low amounts of zinc, and a separate zinc tab for my husband.
Equally important, I also plan to maintain a balanced, adequate diet. And not overdo supplemental zinc intake.
Since some readers may have missed it the first time around, and because I once again referenced by husband, I will end with this point.
Since I was including him in my recounting,
I asked my husband if he thought I should try to end this
rather dry post with a joke?
He said, “I don’t zinc so.”
—
Picture credits:
Title picture – author unknown.
Premo zinc yellow – cobalt blue – fuschia by It’s_all_about_color_ marked as CC BY 2.0
Portions of this post based on a previous one found at: https://agingwithpizzazz.com/zinc-necessity-or-nauseating/
