Zinc

Zinc activates areas of the brain that receive and process information from taste and smell sensors. Its importance to appetite was first demonstrated in 1972 when researchers showed taste disorders responded to zinc supplementation. Levels of zinc in plasma and zinc's effect on other nutrients, like copper and manganese, were found to influence appetite and taste preference.

Insufficient zinc has been linked to anorexia, which responds well to zinc replacement treatment. Zinc abnormalities also often exist in mood disorder patients. Zinc gluconate, taken as a supplement, appears effective in reducing fatigue, mood swings and changes in appetite.

Zinc, found in vesicles of the mossy fiber system of the brain's hippocampus, interacts with other chemicals to send messages to the sensory brain center, enhancing memory and thinking skills.

University of Texas researchers found that women deficient in zinc had a harder time on standard memory tests. USDA scientists found lower cognition in men experimentally deprived of zinc. And in a study of iron-deficient women, average memory scores rose significantly when zinc and iron status were improved. Head-injury victims also tend to have low zinc levels in the weeks following their accidents and respond with improved cognitive function following zinc supplementation.

Zinc also is imperative for proper learning, and task and behavioral performance in children.

Research has shown that zinc deprivation causes poor growth and maturation of the cerebellum and impairs the development of brain cells, which may contribute to learning disorders or emotional and behavior problems.
Other studies have shown that zinc deprivation has a significant effect on cognitive function, resulting in learning impairments and deficits in working visual memory.

As new studies reveal the dramatic role minerals play in maintaining health and fighting disease, medical science is recognizing zinc as a natural treatment that can be safe, inexpensive and beneficial for the whole body.

In a new book, Natural Prescriptions, Dr. Robert M. Giller, a leading practitioner of preventive medicine and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, recommends zinc for over 25 disorders including acne, cold sores, eczema, burns, glaucoma, impotence, tendinitis, PMS, diabetes and macular degeneration.

He backs his advice with published medical research and 20 years of clinical experience. Dr. Giller writes that adequate zinc intake can play a role in preventing or slowing the development of many diseases. Of course, he recommends that supplementation for treatment of a specific condition be accompanied by a doctors supervision.

Other sources of zinc: Oysters, Beef, Cheese and Blue Green Algae.

References: www.ZincWorld.org