Zinc Deficiency and its Role in Mental Health

With COVID 19 impacting those with chronic health conditions more severely, it is important to know more about zinc, an immune supportive mineral.  

By now you are familiar with a deficiency in B12 here, Vitamin D here  or  low magnesium and how it can have an impact on mood and behavior such as its role in depression, anxiety and ADHD.  But you may not realize that over 2 people billion worldwide are deficient in zinc and this mineral deficiency also plays a role in your mental health. 

It has been shown that a zinc deficiency leads to changes in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex of the brain.  A zinc deficiency also leads to excessive amounts of glutamate activity in the brain.  This leads to brain inflammation and excessive free radicals and oxidative stress. 

View the symptoms below to see if this sounds like you. With a zinc deficiency, you may not only exhibit anxiety or depression but there are other tell-tale signs such as lack of taste or a skin issue.  

Zinc and your Immune Health

According to Advances in Nutrition Journal article, zinc, is an essential trace element for immune function maintenance.  There is a great deal of evidence to support zinc use for its antiviral activity against a wide variety of viruses as well as a stimulant for antiviral immunity.  Zinc has been shown to fight viruses in two ways-by being a direct antiviral but also it stimulates antiviral activity.  Research also suggests that those with low zinc levels are at greater risk for viral infections.  In a review in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers noted that a zinc deficiency can diminish the cell mediated response which then leads to increased opportunistic infections.  

Zinc is synergistic with vitamin A and Vitamin E in supporting the immune system, thus a good reason to get zinc from whole foods and a quality multi vitamin/mineral  

Zinc Deficiency Symptoms

I did not go into detail on each of the symptoms but I did address some of the mental health issues associated with a zinc deficiency in more detail. 

• Weak immune system: When you first come down with a cold, take zinc acetate lozenges to reduce the duration of the illness. I like and use Enhanced Zinc lozenges by Life Extension. (support your immune health by consuming zinc rich foods and taking a multi vitamin that contains zinc in the chelated form) 
• Acne/adult acne: Zinc has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Research has shown that those with acne have lower zinc levels. 
• Eczema, psoriasis, patches of dry skin: Rats and mice deficient in zinc develop a skin condition that is similar to psoriasis.
• Hypothyroidism: Zinc is a cofactor mineral needed for thyroid hormone function. With decreased zinc levels, the thyroid can become underactive.  It also plays a role in converting T4 to T3 and is needed to bind active thyroid hormone to DNA cells. 
• Depression: While it is known that B vitamins can make an impact for those with depression, it is not as well known that a zinc deficiency can also affect one’s mental health. A study found that rats fed a zinc restricted diet had depression, poor motivation and withdrew from social behavior. Zinc is also involved in the pathway for the body’s production of neurotransmitters.  Zinc is also necessary for B6 to be converted into its active form which in turn plays a role in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.   
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of taste/impaired sense of taste: This along with the decrease in appetite can often be the first clue that brain inflammation related to a zinc deficiency is present.
• ADHD: Zinc assists with the production and regulation of melatonin. Melatonin is an important factor in the pathophysiology of ADHD due to its modulation of dopamine. There have been numerous studies looking at zinc levels and the relationship to ADHD.  These studies have shown that those with ADHD have significantly lower zinc levels.  Four studies have shown positive results for zinc in the treatment of ADHD. 
• Aggression issues
• Brittle nails, white spots on nails
• Body odor
• Hair loss
• Fatigue
• Slow wound healing
• Sensitive to strong smells/strong odors
• Anxiety: too much copper and too little zinc
• Adrenal fatigue: uses up a lot of zinc
• Psychiatric disorders in the elderly (65 and older) such as dementia, psychotic disorders, bipolar. One study found a high prevalence of zinc deficiency in the patient group versus the Control group.

Who is at Risk

• Vegans/vegetarians: These diets tend to be high in copper and low in zinc.
• Elderly
• Athletes who sweat a lot
• Pregnant women
• Those with chronic digestive disorders (i.e.: low HCL, Acid reflux, GERD, IBD, IBS)
• Chronic stress
• During trauma, surgery, burns (to aid in healing)
• Those with cataracts, macular degeneration
• Those with celiac disease
• Those who consume a lot of grains (the Phytates content blocks zinc absorption)
• Those who eat the SAD and don’t get enough of zinc rich foods.

What Causes you to Lose Zinc

• Those who sweat a lot/athlete
• Sugar/SAD
• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Too much copper in the diet
• Oral contraceptives
• Infection
• Puberty
• Nutrient deficient diet/vegetarian or vegan diet

Foods that Contain Zinc

Many of your vegetarian sources of zinc are only as nutrient rich as the soil that it is grown in.  Our soil is depleted which means your food has less nutrients.  Plants sources due to the phytic acid may also not be bioavailable as zinc sourced from non -vegetarian sources such as seafood and beef. 

• Beef/red meats (3.5 ounces, 3.5-11 mg)
• Eggs (.6 mg per large egg)
• Seafood (shrimp): 6 large shrimp 1.6 mg
• Legumes (chickpeas, lentils) (1/2 cup 1.3 mg.)
• tempeh (1/2 cup 1.3 mg)
• Oysters (3.5 ounces, 33.24 mg) 
• Pumpkin seeds (1 ounce, 2.21 mg)
• Cooked split peas (1 cup, 1.96 mg) 
• Sesame butter (2 T., 1.39 mg)
• Lima beans (1 cup, 1.34 mg)
• Pecans (1 ounce, 1.28)
• Brazil nuts (1 ounce, 1.15)
• Almonds (1 ounce, 94 mg)
• Walnuts (1 ounce, 88 mg) 

*Phytates in legumes and nuts may inhibit absorption. For this reason, soaking is always a good idea!

What to look for in a Supplement

Vegetarians may want to consider zinc supplementation due to the difficulty absorbing zinc from non- meat sources such as from plants, legumes, nuts and seeds.  According to the Institute of Medicine’s report, vegetarians require 50% greater intake of zinc given that the major source in the diet For general health, take 15-20 mg of zinc per day.  Therapeutic doses are higher and depending on the need, range from 30-75 mg. per day.  This range is typically safe for several months or longer but use therapeutic dosing under the guidance of a professional. 

Zinc acetate, gluconate, sulfate, citrate, or methionine should be used, and not zinc oxide or zinc picolinate. Ideally the zinc should be taken on an empty stomach, but if this causes nausea it should be taken with some food and should at least be taken far away from phytate-rich meals. The zinc should be spread out as much as possible to ensure better absorption. For example, 15 milligrams three times per day five hours apart is much better than taking 45 milligrams once per day.  

If you are using zinc for general health, it is best to take it within your multivitamin/mineral supplement since minerals are interconnected and balance amongst them is important.  If you are taking zinc for therapeutic reasons, be sure to look at how much is in your multi (and what form it is in) and then add in a supplement to get into the therapeutic range. I have found that people don’t realize the high amounts of zinc they are taking because it is in several of their supplements.  

Zinc must be in balance with copper due to competition for receptor sites.  The ratio should be 15:1 of zinc to copper. The foods that contain more zinc in a bioavailable form and less copper are oysters, beef, lamb, crab, shrimp, sesame seeds and macadamia nuts.  Copper is much easier to get from the diet than zinc and you can find some supplements that are copper free. 

Many Americans are too high in copper and too low in zinc.  For instance, this unbalanced ratio has been linked to schizophrenia, anxiety, learning disabilities and autism.  Copper can come from copper IUD, copper pots, copper pipes, dental amalgams, pesticides and medications such as oral contraceptives. 

Copper is also stored in the liver so it is also beneficial to provide liver support such as with dark bitter greens, beets and lemon water. 

Testing Your Zinc Levels

Direct Labs has a zinc/copper ratio test with the zinc measured in the plasma (which is what you want, not zinc tested from the serum).  This test is $89.  

 Most ranges are too broad, with the lower end at 50-60 micrograms per deciliter. Measured in micrograms per liter, as on Direct Labs test, plasma zinc should be at least 70 in females and 74 in males, and the sweet spot is likely between 100-120. 

Bottom Line: If you are struggling with a mental health issue, hypothyroidism or a skin concern, look at your diet to see how much zinc you are getting from your foods. If you have digestive issues, take into consideration that this impacts the assimilation of your nutrients, including zinc.  In the end, zinc may help you but most likely your issue is multifaceted and zinc is playing a role but is not the only component of your health issue.  For instance, if you are a vegetarian, zinc may not be the only nutrient that you are deficient in. 

Sources

Bauman, E. & Friedlander, J. (2014) Foundations in Nutrition.  CA: Bauman College

Hoffer, A, Walker, M. (1978) Orthomolecular Nutrition. Keats Publishing. 156-7.

Masterjohn, Chris, Testing Nutritional Status Pdf 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25290638

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25940914

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0082793

https://www.ncbi.mlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3796297

http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/261/htm

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15569527.2013.808656

https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/10/4/696/5476413

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10801951