Do you know what zinc is?

  

Source: http://www.eufic.org/article/en/nutrition/vitamins-minerals-phytonutrients/artid/zinc-supernutrient/

Do you know what zinc is?

Zinc is an essential trace element that is vital for growth and development. Animal studies of zinc levels during gestation have shown that zinc deficiency is highly teratogenic in rats and leads to the development of various congenital malformations.

In addition, zinc is essential for normal brain development. If a pregnant woman has zinc deficiency, that can lead to overt fetal brain malformations. Zinc deficiency during gestation increases the risk for behavioral/neurological disorders in infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. (Adamo AM, Oteiza PI, 2010 ).

Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Zinc [2]
Age	Male	Female	Pregnancy	Lactation
0–6 months	2 mg*	2 mg*
7–12 months	3 mg	3 mg
1–3 years	3 mg	3 mg
4–8 years	5 mg	5 mg
9–13 years	8 mg	8 mg
14–18 years	11 mg	9 mg	12 mg	13 mg
19+ years	11 mg	8 mg	11 mg	12 mg

* Adequate Intake (AI)

Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

The 2001 RDA for zinc is 11mg for those ages 19 and older during pregnancy (IOM 2001). Maternal zinc status may be inversely related to the degree of prenatal iron supplementation because excess iron ingestion inhibits zinc absorption (IOM 1990). Moreover, milk is a good source of zinc and calcium, however, high intakes of calcium may interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc.

Source: http://wechoosehealthy.com/tag/zinc/

Selected Food Sources of Zinc [11]
Food	Milligrams (mg) per serving	Percent DV*
Oysters, cooked, breaded and fried, 3 ounces	74.0	493
Beef chuck roast, braised, 3 ounces	7.0	47
Crab, Alaska king, cooked, 3 ounces	6.5	43
Beef patty, broiled, 3 ounces	5.3	35
Breakfast cereal, fortified with 25% of the DV for zinc, ¾ cup serving	3.8	25
Lobster, cooked, 3 ounces	3.4	23
Pork chop, loin, cooked, 3 ounces	2.9	19
Baked beans, canned, plain or vegetarian, ½ cup	2.9	19
Chicken, dark meat, cooked, 3 ounces	2.4	16
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 ounces	1.7	11
Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce	1.6	11
Chickpeas, cooked, ½ cup	1.3	9
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce	1.2	8
Oatmeal, instant, plain, prepared with water, 1 packet	1.1	7
Milk, low-fat or non fat, 1 cup	1.0	7
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce	0.9	6
Kidney beans, cooked, ½ cup	0.9	6
Chicken breast, roasted, skin removed, ½ breast	0.9	6
Cheese, cheddar or mozzarella, 1 ounce	0.9	6
Peas, green, frozen, cooked, ½ cup	0.5	3
Flounder or sole, cooked, 3 ounces	0.3	2

* DV = Daily Value. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help consumers compare the nutrient contents of products within the context of a total diet. The DV for zinc is 15 mg for adults and children age 4 and older. Food labels, however, are not required to list zinc content unless a food has been fortified with this nutrient. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site [11] lists the nutrient content of many foods and provides a comprehensive list of foods containing zinc.

Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

Reference:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20333753

Adamo AM, Oteiza PI.(2010) Zinc deficiency and neurodevelopment: the case of neurons. Biofactors. 2010 Mar-Apr;36(2):117-24.

L. Kathleen Mahan. Sylvia Escott-Stump. Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/nutrition/vitamins-minerals-phytonutrients/artid/zinc-supernutrient/