Zinc

Zinc is an essential trace element. It is officially considered a critical nutrient in vegan diets. As the body does not have a store, zinc needs to be taken in regularly. In this post you will learn the most important facts about zinc and what you can do to promote its intake.

Functions

Zinc plays a role as a cofactor of over 300 enzymes. This makes it important for fetal development, brain development, reproduction, bone formation, normal growth & development, wound healing and vision. It also influences gene expression, is important for cell division, differentiation and death, stabilises membranes and is important for insulin synthesis and storage. Regulatory, zinc acts as an activator and inhibitor, thereby influencing enzyme proteins and is involved in the regulation of immune cells. Zinc also has antioxidant properties.

Deficiency

Deficiency occurs rather rarely in industrial nations and is due to dietary causes in developing countries. In children it can lead to growth disorders. Adults usually suffer from a disturbance of the sense of taste and smell, wound healing, vision, spermatogenesis, glucose tolerance as well as psychological disorders. Hair loss, skin changes and immune deficiency can also be part of it. All in all, the symptoms are manifold.

Occurrence

  • Whole grains, pseudo grains, cereal germs
  • nuts & oilseeds
  • legumes

Metabolism

Zinc is an essential trace element. Its total body content is 2-3 grams. It cannot be stored by the body and must therefore be supplied regularly. Absorption depends on food composition, intake amount and body status. As with iron, there are substances that decrease or increase absorption. The decreasing substances include: Phytates, dietary fibre, tannins and a high concentration of other divalent cations, such as calcium. Promoting substances include peptides (certain proteins), cysteine and histidine (certain amino acids) and organic acids (e.g. citric acid). In addition, preparation methods such as sprouting, soaking, fermenting and sourdough fermentation help to reduce substances such as phytates. Incidentally, if foods rich in phytates are eaten over a longer period of time, the intake rate adjusts.

Supply

The supply for vegans is not necessarily critical, but for risk groups, special attention should be paid to intake, preparation methods and resorption-promoting substances. The risk group includes children and adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly. Since zinc from plant sources is not absorbed as well as from animal sources due to the presence of phytates, it is recommended to increase the intake by 50% or by a factor of 1.5. The recommended intake* depends on age and sex and is 7 mg per day for women and 10 mg per day for men (both from the age of 15). Pregnant and breastfeeding women should take 10 mg per day and 11 mg per day respectively.


* D-A-CH reference values

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