Zinc is most commonly indicated as a nutritional supplement to help with immune support and general wellness, but a lesser known role of zinc is as a key mineral in eye health. Here are a few fun facts about zinc and eye health!

• The concentration of zinc in the eye is unusually high when compared to the rest of the body, and it is particularly abundant in the retina of the eye.
• Zinc has been found to be directly involved in many important processes of the eye including the activation of the pigments that register light (vital to night vision), the transmission of electrical impulses that help transmit images to the brain, and the antioxidant protection of the eye from light and chemical damage.
• Zinc is thought to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration—the leading cause of vision loss in the Western world.
• The formation of cataracts, another age-related eye problem, has also been associated with zinc deficiency.
• There is some anecdotal evidence that zinc prevents and in some cases may even reverse the formation of floaters in the eye by strengthening the delicate tissues of the eye as a whole.
• People who chronically use antacids or other products that reduce stomach acid are at a higher risk for eye problems associated with zinc deficiency because stomach acid is required for proper absorption of zinc.
• Adequate levels of dietary zinc during pregnancy help to ensure proper eye formation and function in offspring. Protein foods tend to be richer in zinc—especially almonds, oysters, and beef.

For more information and biochemical details on the link between zinc and eye health, please see the article titled “Zinc and the Eye” from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

We have a baby in our household, which is like a beacon of light attracting all the children in the neighborhood who want a living toy to play with on summer vacation.  I definitely don’t mind it – our little boy loves the attention and spends most of his visiting time smiling and laughing. 

An unanticipated side effect of all of these visits is that my house has also become the band-aid dispensary when one of the kids scrapes their knee after falling off their bike.  There are a couple of tricks I use in these cases, and I wanted to share them with you to help you prevent scarring after skin injuries.

- First, wash the area well with soap and water.  I am not a fan of antibacterial soap, as most of it contains triclosan, a know hormone disruptor.  I just use regular castile soap and plenty of warm water.  The action of washing removes debris and bad bacteria without also destroying all the good, protective bacteria on the skin the way that antibacterial soap would.

- Most skin injuries repair better if they are kept slightly moist with ointment, but I don’t keep antibacterial first aid ointments in my home for the same reasons mentioned above about antibacterial soap.  For light scrapes, I rub a little bit of coconut oil onto the wound to promote softening and healing of the skin.  For cuts or scrapes that are a little more intense, I actually apply a dab of extra strength diaper rash ointment (I keep Desitin or Balmex in the house).  This might sound like a weird thing to do, but diaper rash ointment contains zinc, which helps skin to repair and has the added benefit of being a natural sunblock (avoiding sun on scrapes also helps to prevent scarring).

- Finally, cover the area with a bandage to be sure the ointment soaks in rather than rubbing off on clothes.

These instructions work well for all kinds of mild skin injuries including cuts, scrapes, and even injuries associated with acne and blistering sunburn.  For deeper wounds, cuts requiring stitches, skin injuries that may be infected, or puncture wounds, please consult your doctor!

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.

As we head out of summer and into the cooler months, the attention on cold and flu season starts to set in.  That attention has definitely been amplified this year with all the press surrounding different strains of the flu!  There is a lot you can do to prevent the flu including diet, lifestyle, and in some cases medication, but I thought to take this blog entry to provide info on zinc.  

Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for immunity, and can usually be obtained from the diet if attention is given to eating protein rich foods (although extra may be needed in supplement form if you are around people who are sick with a cold or flu or if you are starting to show symptoms). 

Below is a link to an in-depth entry on zinc from the Linus Pauling Micronutrient Center that also includes a table listing amounts of the mineral found in several zinc-rich foods.  Happy eating!

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/