Test your zinc levels, you might be deficient....easy to do

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Sun Aug 05, 2012 10:00 pm

I wanted to confirm what I pretty much already knew to be true, that I have very low zinc levels due to my inability to metabolize it because mercury is blocking its receptor sites in my body. I did confirm this by taking a zinc challenge test, a form of liquid zinc you hold in your mouth. My levels are between low and very low...nothing I can do right now about it other than continue pulling out the mercury that blocks it...

But, you may also have the same issue as zinc deficiency is very common in people in general, but especially in those who actively train...and there IS something you can do about it.

The zinc challenge solution is very inexpensive(8-10 bucks for 4 oz or 16 bucks for 8 oz, which is enough for several months of testing). All you do is take 2 teaspoons of it and hold it in your mouth and wait to see what happens. The faster you get a taste, the better your zinc levels are. If you get a strong metallic taste in your mouth, you have adequate zinc levels. If you get a weak hydrogen peroxide like taste, you have low zinc levels and if you have no taste, you zinc levels are very low. I had a weak hydrogen peroxide like taste after about 20 seconds or so, denoting I had low to very low zinc levels.

Once you know your zinc levels, you can supplement with zinc if you need it to bring your levels up. Why is zinc so important? Well it regulates about 3% of the genes in your body and is found in every cell. It is extremely important for enzyme function, hormone production and proper digestion. It also it the quintessential "male" mineral and helps give males their muscular definition. Basically the body is either zinc based or copper based. Females are copper based and males are zinc based. They are antagonists..if zinc is high copper is low and if zinc is low copper is high. If copper is high, estrogen is high. If zinc is high, testosterone is high and estrogen is low because zinc also is a very potent inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme and also significantly decreases the number of estrogen receptors in the body. In fact, it is so potent in this regard that many German bodybuilders are given 100-150 mg of zinc when taking steroids to shut down any excessive estrogen buildup/gyno.

If there is an easy fix for most people, this is it, and with it being so important to males, it should be one of the most important things you are concerned with. With the zinc challenge and zinc being so inexpensive, there is no excuse for not ensuring you have adequate zinc levels. This could be the most important thing you have done for your muscle growth in a long time...

drtda · Post by **drtda** » Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:33 am

What do you think about overall copper intake? I have been trying to monitor mine for a while, as I've noticed that a lot of supplements really seem to "pile on" the copper, which I feel is unnecessary and possibly harmful.

You especially have to watch meal-replacement powders and some of the popular protein bars as they can be loaded with copper.

There was also a study done a few years ago that showed that high copper intake along with some other minerals in seniors seemed to have a correlation with dementia and other forms of cognitive disease. FWIW.

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:18 am

I try and stay away from copper as much as possible...copper cookware and copper pipes are also big sources of unknown copper as well...

Males should have roughly a 10:1 zinc to copper ratio...

DaGymWarrior · Post by **DaGymWarrior** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:37 pm

I had been taking ZMA for three months prior (includes 30mg of Zinc), and I recently boosted my zinc intake to 100mg a day for the past two weeks.

I received my Zinc Challenge last week and was surprised to find no taste at all, except for a very slight taste about ten seconds in. I have since boosted my zinc intake to 150mg a day. I am guessing it will take some time until my zinc comes up to adequate levels. I'll be using the Zinc Challenge a couple times a week to gauge.

I appreciate the tip Matt!

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:40 pm

DaGymWarrior wrote:I had been taking ZMA for three months prior (includes 30mg of Zinc), and I recently boosted my zinc intake to 100mg a day for the past two weeks.

I received my Zinc Challenge last week and was surprised to find no taste at all, except for a very slight taste about ten seconds in. I have since boosted my zinc intake to 150mg a day. I am guessing it will take some time until my zinc comes up to adequate levels. I'll be using the Zinc Challenge a couple times a week to gauge.

I appreciate the tip Matt!

There is the answer for your T levels as well...zinc is essential for proper hormone production...if it doesn't improve within a month look at copper intake and potential heavy metal issues...

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:53 pm

I think I might be on to something here...it might be something or it might turn out to be nothing...

3 weeks ago I took my zinc challenge and it was low to very low(20 seconds to taste a peroxide like taste). 2 weeks ago I started a modified paleo diet, cutting all grains, legumes, corn, dairy, etc out of my diet...basically everything containing phytic acid, a known "anti-nutrient".

Today I retake my zinc challenge, and I get a strong metallic taste in about 5 seconds. ZINC!!!! I was absolutely floored.

Now, granted there could be something else at play here because I have been pulling heavy metals out of my body multiple times per day via PCA, algin, bentonite clay, R-ALA, NAC, Vitamin C, etc, which means it very well could be that I unblocked enough of the zinc receptors to be able to load my body up on zinc in that timeframe. However, I had been doing this for 4 weeks prior to taking my first challenge and it didn't make any difference.

My theory is that the phytic acid in these foods was stealing minerals from my body and combined with the lack of zinc receptors available, it was causing a shortage...if someone else wants to test this out I would be much in debt....cut all grains, rice, corn, legumes and dairy out of the diet for a week and retest with the zinc challenge(you would have to test low initially), if still low, repeat for another week and retest....if your levels are normal, it may be very possible numerous people low in zinc are actually doing it to themselves by ingesting too many things containing high phytic acid levels....

YouTube · Post by **askmass** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:31 pm

I've seen the same personally and with many others, Matter.

Like you, I'm also a modified Paleo guy and have had tons of mercury removed from my mouth.

Very likely it is the double whammy positive combo converging for you, but people switching to Paleo alone tend to see much improved mineral levels, and quickly, in my experience.

falfa · Post by **falfa** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:21 pm

matter2003 wrote: My theory is that the phytic acid in these foods was stealing minerals from my body and combined with the lack of zinc receptors available, it was causing a shortage...if someone else wants to test this out I would be much in debt....cut all grains, rice, corn, legumes and dairy out of the diet for a week and retest with the zinc challenge(you would have to test low initially), if still low, repeat for another week and retest....if your levels are normal, it may be very possible numerous people low in zinc are actually doing it to themselves by ingesting too many things containing high phytic acid levels....

As I wrote in another thread, when I switched to Paleo it was great in the beginning. Then I got some cravings and started to eat a lot of cashews and other nuts together with a lot of eggs/egg whites. My eczema got really bad and food sensitivity test showed it was egg and cashews mainly causing this.
So don't go nuts on the nuts as they include a lot of phytic acid.

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:18 pm

falfa wrote:
As I wrote in another thread, when I switched to Paleo it was great in the beginning. Then I got some cravings and started to eat a lot of cashews and other nuts together with a lot of eggs/egg whites. My eczema got really bad and food sensitivity test showed it was egg and cashews mainly causing this.
So don't go nuts on the nuts as they include a lot of phytic acid.

Do you have mercury fillings?

Eczema and food allergies are simply a side effect of more serious issues...potentially candida overgrowth, leaky gut syndrome, malfunctioning thyroid, and an overburdened and overtaxed liver...

I don't eat nuts, so I don't have to worry...I eat 4 eggs daily for vreakfast
Mostly eat potatoes and fruit for carbs and chicken for protein along with a bunch of veggies...

falfa · Post by **falfa** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:17 pm

matter2003 wrote:
falfa wrote:
As I wrote in another thread, when I switched to Paleo it was great in the beginning. Then I got some cravings and started to eat a lot of cashews and other nuts together with a lot of eggs/egg whites. My eczema got really bad and food sensitivity test showed it was egg and cashews mainly causing this.
So don't go nuts on the nuts as they include a lot of phytic acid.
Do you have mercury fillings?

Eczema and food allergies are simply a side effect of more serious issues...potentially candida overgrowth, leaky gut syndrome, malfunctioning thyroid, and an overburdened and overtaxed liver...

I don't eat nuts, so I don't have to worry...I eat 4 eggs daily for vreakfast
Mostly eat potatoes and fruit for carbs and chicken for protein along with a bunch of veggies...

I got this from my mother, both me and my brother. My mother has psoriasis. I also got IBS as my mother, although after i started with paleo, betaine hcl and digestive enzymes I haven't had any problems. Bad stomaches unfortunately seems to run in the family with stomach cancer on both sides. Last years I've been trying to do what I can and paleo has made wonders.

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:28 pm

falfa wrote:I got this from my mother, both me and my brother. My mother has psoriasis. I also got IBS as my mother, although after i started with paleo, betaine hcl and digestive enzymes I haven't had any problems. Bad stomaches unfortunately seems to run in the family with stomach cancer on both sides. Last years I've been trying to do what I can and paleo has made wonders.

Does your mother have mercury fillings?

I have psoriasis also, but not for much longer. It is starting to vanish as I pull the heavy metals and rebalance my minerals and intestinal environment---ie, destroy the candida overgrowth and reintroduce the bacteria that is supposed to be there...

Again, skin disorders are not skin disorders in most cases, they are the body's cry for help as it attempts to clear accumulated toxins through its largest organ, the skin.

falfa · Post by **falfa** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:40 pm

matter2003 wrote: Does your mother have mercury fillings?

I have psoriasis also, but not for much longer. It is starting to vanish as I pull the heavy metals and rebalance my minerals and intestinal environment---ie, destroy the candida overgrowth and reintroduce the bacteria that is supposed to be there...

Again, skin disorders are not skin disorders in most cases, they are the body's cry for help as it attempts to clear accumulated toxins through its largest organ, the skin.

Yeah she got amalgam fillings. I've told her she needs to remove them.

I did a real allergy test when I was little which was for animals etc. I've never done anything more. Just used a lot of cortisone during the years that my doctor has prescribed. Shame that none told me when I was younger to try a better diet.

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:46 pm

falfa wrote:
matter2003 wrote: Does your mother have mercury fillings?

I have psoriasis also, but not for much longer. It is starting to vanish as I pull the heavy metals and rebalance my minerals and intestinal environment---ie, destroy the candida overgrowth and reintroduce the bacteria that is supposed to be there...

Again, skin disorders are not skin disorders in most cases, they are the body's cry for help as it attempts to clear accumulated toxins through its largest organ, the skin.
Yeah she got amalgam fillings. I've told her she needs to remove them.

I did a real allergy test when I was little which was for animals etc. I've never done anything more. Just used a lot of cortisone during the years that my doctor has
prescribed. Shame that none told me when I was younger to try a better diet.

You likely have heavy metals also since they are transferred from mother to fetus...that explains why these things run in families...the mercury gets transferred to the children from the mother

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:07 pm

Started reading more into zinc and its importance and sound the following:

Gene Expression:
Groundbreaking research in zinc is its role in genetic transcription and replication. The discovery of "zinc fingers," which activate hundreds of genes, promises understanding of how growth promoters, like steroids, work and may help treat tumors and viral diseases. Zinc finger proteins bind to DNA by wrapping around small sections of DNA molecules, activating a gene. Research into zinc finger proteins has already explained some genetic defects.

Zinc

Zinc plays an important role in men’s health. More than 70% of men do not obtain the minimum daily requirement of zinc from their diets. This mineral is necessary for all aspects of male reproduction, including hormone metabolism and balance, prostate function, and sperm formation and motility.1

Zinc is also crucial to the manufacture and repair of DNA. Its role in strengthening the immune system is rapidly being recognized as critical. Additionally, zinc is an enzyme co-factor that assists the body in absorbing enzymes.

Zinc and Men’s Hormonal Balance

Zinc is one of the most important supplements for men’s health with the highest concentrations in the prostate gland. It is a key mineral in male sexual function and a protector nutrient against prostate cancer.

Zinc deficiency syndromes in men can be present in different ways. For example, low testosterone and low sperm counts may be signs of a zinc deficiency. Men with excessive estrogen levels despite normal testosterone levels may also lack this mineral. Increased estrogen levels can result from elevated amounts of the aromatase enzyme which converts testosterone to estrogen. Excess estrogen is also known as estrogen dominance.

For the aging male population, zinc supplementation can be indicated for several reasons. It inhibits the activity of the 5-alpha reductase enzyme that irreversibly converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone and may be helpful in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).