Earlier this week I was talking with a friend whose skin scars easily about the possibility that she needed more zinc in her diet.  Zinc is absolutely necessary for “knitting together” the proteins involved in healing injuries to the skin, so low levels of zinc would make it more likely for skin to scar. 

Here are a few other signs that a person may need to boost zinc intake:
• Skin that is unusually prone to sunburn (after taking into account fairness of skin)
• Skin that takes an abnormally long time to heal from everyday cuts and scrapes
• Peeling or bleeding of the skin around the fingernails (and also white spots on the fingernails that are not related to trauma)
• Rough skin
• Lowered sense of taste or smell
• Lack of appetite
• Lowered desire for protein foods
• Lowered immunity or feeling like you’re “catching every bug that comes along”
• Frequent yeast infections

Most people can obtain adequate levels of zinc by eating several servings daily of protein-rich foods, which are usually a natural source of zinc.  However, some people may be at risk for lower zinc levels.  A few things that can cause zinc levels to be low include:
• Vegetarian or low-protein diet
• Use of medications that lower zinc including birth control pills, diuretics, and gout medications
• Frequent exposure to copper, such as those who work with copper pipe or copper wire in the workplace

If you are unable to obtain adequate zinc from your diet and need to supplement, look for a zinc supplement that contains zinc that is attached to amino acids – this is a highly absorbable type of supplemental zinc.  To find out more about the many roles zinc plays in health as well as amounts obtained from various foods, visit the Linus Pauling Micronutrient Center’s entry on zinc. 

NOTE: Please consult with your doctor before taking any nutritional supplements.  This blog is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner.

Most of us know that vitamin D is produced when sunlight hits our skin.  However, many of us don’t know just how important vitamin D is to our health.  Here are some interesting facts:

• Flu season happens during the months when sunlight exposure is minimal and vitamin D levels are low.  Given vitamin D’s immune modulating effects, it’s hard to imagine this is just coincidence!
• Maintaining adequate vitamin D levels protects against lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and – surprisingly – skin cancer. 
  Chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia and arthritis have been linked to low vitamin D levels.
• Without sufficient vitamin D, your body cannot absorb calcium through your intestines.  This is why so many calcium supplements also contain vitamin D.
• Sunscreen (even weak sunscreens) impair the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D, which is why it is recommended to spend at least a few minutes each day in the sun without sunscreen.
• Chronic low vitamin D levels may cause an imbalance of melatonin in the body, leading to sleep disturbance.
• It is estimated that 40% of the US population is vitamin D deficient.
• Your levels of vitamin D can be checked with a simple blood test ordered by your family doctor (be sure to ask for “serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level” which checks the level of activated vitamin D in your body).

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the importance of vitamin D.  For more information on the subject as well as links to research studies, please visit the Vitamin D Council’s website.

As I write this blog, U.S. negotiators are at an international Codex conference discussing labeling laws for genetically modified foods (also referred to as GMOs – genetically modified organisms).  I have a background in DNA research and used to create genetically modified bacteria in the lab so I consider myself a relatively informed consumer when it comes to genetic modification.  There are many reasons I am concerned about GMOs ending up in our food supply, which I won’t get into here.  I will, however, provide you with some links to learn more about the subject!

Here is a website that does a great job of simply explaining the risks of eating GMOs.  It also has a page that you can use to email politicians that are involved in the Codex conference I mentioned above:
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm

If you are like me and already know how you feel about GMOs, here is a website that provides information on how to navigate your way through the grocery store.  They even provide a handy one-page pdf file that you can print out and bring with you on shopping trips to help identify name brands that may contain GMOs.
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/SG/Home/index.cfm

Happy eating!