Some individuals believe in the power of zinc to combat every sniffle, sneeze, or sore throat. While zinc can’t magically eliminate colds or the flu, it remains a beneficial mineral with numerous impressive capabilities.
Zinc contributes to maintaining cellular health and offers advantages at the DNA level. Therefore, it’s wise to keep your zinc intake within the recommended daily doses of 8 milligrams for women and 11 milligrams for men to help prevent skin issues, sexual health concerns, and other symptoms associated with zinc deficiency.
However, you don’t need to rely solely on zinc supplements. It’s entirely possible to obtain all the zinc your body requires from food alone. For example, consuming 3 ounces of most beef cuts can significantly contribute to your daily zinc intake. A three-ounce T-bone steak provides nearly 4 milligrams of zinc, while the same amount of beef roast contains about 6 milligrams. Additionally, you’ll receive 2.85 milligrams and 2.34 milligrams (respectively) of iron from each cut as a bonus.
Zinc can help you recover from sickness faster
What impact could the zinc from red meat have on your future health? Firstly, it might help you conserve sick leave, as zinc can reduce the time you’re feeling unwell.
A 2017 review in JRSM Open found that taking lozenges containing zinc could shorten the duration of common cold symptoms by 28% to 40%. A daily intake of 100 milligrams of zinc lozenges was the maximum dosage needed to achieve this positive effect. That said, you shouldn’t expect zinc to stop sickness entirely, as it seems more effective as an intervention than a preventative measure. As a 2024 review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews indicated, previous studies didn’t support the notion of zinc as a common cold cure. However, the authors did find that zinc could reduce the time it takes to recover from a cold, which is certainly a bonus since you never know how long a cold could last.
Other potential health benefits of zinc
Increasing your zinc intake might also lower the risk of developing certain cancers. For instance, a 2022 review in Frontiers in Nutrition noted that consuming 5 grams of zinc daily (delivered incrementally) could reduce the chances of being diagnosed with colorectal or esophageal cancer by 14% and 15%, respectively. This suggests that eating zinc-rich foods like red meat can be a helpful way to lower your likelihood of a cancer diagnosis.
Zinc has also been linked to improvements for those with short bowel syndrome, a medical condition affecting the gastrointestinal system. Though the disorder isn’t common, it can be life-threatening due to nutritional deficiencies. While zinc hasn’t been approved as a treatment for short bowel syndrome yet, a 2024 study in Nature conducted on mice showed promising evidence for zinc supplementation as a means to promote intestinal healing and encourage improved nutrient absorption. Maame Sampah, a research fellow who co-authored the study, noted that “boosting zinc intake helped the mice recover better and increased their chances of survival” (via Johns Hopkins Medicine).
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