The phrase
"adequate zinc" means having enough zinc in your body to keep it healthy. Zinc is a mineral that is important for many processes in the body, such as growth, immunity, and wound healing. Having
adequate zinc means you have a sufficient amount of this mineral to support these functions properly.
Full definition
Without adequate zinc, immune cells can not function properly and thus can not fight off cold and flu viruses.
Studies show that
adequate zinc consumption, or supplementation, not only prevents the onset of colds and flu, but also decrease the duration of them by a day or more, if taken at the onset of symptoms.
Many turn to zinc lozenges when a cold hits, but taking in
adequate zinc on a consistent basis is important for keeping the immune system strong.
The effects of zinc supplementation on diarrhea in children
with adequate zinc status, such as most children in the United States, are not clear.
While the average U.S. diet
provides adequate zinc for most men and women, symptomatic zinc deficiency does sometimes occur in the U.S. Unlike for many of the other minerals, however, the beef - rich diet of many Americans (averaging about 1 pound of beef per week) tends to provide zinc in good supply.
Adequate zinc status is essential for T - cell division, maturation and differentiation; lymphocyte response to mitogens; programmed cell death of lymphoid and myeloid origins; gene transcription; and biomembrane function.
New research from Ohio State scientists has found that
adequate zinc is essential for keeping the immune system in balance, particularly during severe infections like sepsis.
Soils on the Pennsylvania farm are low in manganese, copper and boron, have
adequate zinc and are high in iron.
Maintaining
an adequate zinc status can limit the decline in immune function that often occurs with age.
Research suggests that, especially for older people, maintaining
an adequate zinc status may be of particular importance for preventing pneumonia.
Adequate zinc is essential for a healthy pregnancy and crucial for normal sexual development in both men and women.
Additionally,
adequate zinc is required in bodybuilding diet for building proteins and optimal physical performance.