Zinc Side Effects
A Quick Guide To Zinc Side Effects
No matter what we take into our bodies, an excess or deficiency can cause some undesirable side effects, zinc side effects being no different. As important as zinc is to our bodies, in fact its presence is essential, too much or too little can be a source of problems, with symptoms varying from mild to severe.
There are basically two ways in which we get our supply of zinc. One is through the foods we eat. A healthy diet normally provides our required levels of zinc, and any unpleasant zinc side effects are seldom encountered in this instance. However, if our dietary intake is lacking in certain food types or nutritional elements, we could find ourselves faced with a zinc deficiency, and the problems that deficiency can bring. An excess of zinc seldom occurs when we practice normal eating habits.
An excess of zinc and the attendant zinc side effects can occur when we ingest either zinc compounds, or zinc supplements in excess. In extreme cases, zinc can be toxic, especially if taken in its pure form in other than a trace amount. The same can be said for most any other metal.
Let's start with some side effects arising from a zinc deficiency. Since zinc is required everywhere in the body, you would expect many different symptoms to be present, ranging from mild to very severe. The amount of zinc in our body rarely approaches zero. If it did, life would come to an end. But it can fall below the 2 to 4 grams our body normally requires. If this level begins to fall significantly, one or more of a number of
things can happen.
One symptom can be weight gain. A lack of zinc will affect the thyroid, which in turn will slow down the body's metabolism and the attendant inability to turn calories into energy. Skin problems may develop, including lesions and a general slowness in healing of any ruptures or wounds. Our immune system can also become weakened and the body may become unable to easily ward off disease or infection. The most serious side effect is seen in infants, who must have an adequate level of zinc in their bodies for normal physical and mental growth.
Zinc side effects resulting from having an excess in the body are generally not as severe although zinc is quite toxic if taken in large amounts, which we rarely have occasion to do. The major problems caused by excessive zinc levels is that of inhibiting the body's ability to absorb iron and copper, two other elements vital to our body's health and functioning. The symptoms in this case, are more directly the result of the deficiency of these other elements, and not so much from the excess of zinc. Symptoms can vary from mild fatigue to a more serious condition arising in one or more of the body's organs.
Symptoms occurring from an excess of zinc usually occur because an excess of zinc supplements have been taken, or these supplements are taken over an extended period of time. This is a case of where, when something is good for you, taking too much of it or for too long may have an undesirable effect. Eat well, and don't take zinc supplements in excess, then having an experience with unpleasant zinc side effects will probably never happen to you.