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‘I’m a doctor and I’ve been religiously taking underrated supplement for 20 years’
This humble mineral supplement can dramatically help the immune system, gut, tissue repair, and so much more, says TikToks Dr Stephen Cabral.
You could be one of the 25% of Americans who are deficient in vitamin D. Take a related super supplement to boost levels of it in your body. But thats not the supplement this naturopathic doctor recommends, although taking this one does help with the uptake of that one. Just be careful you dont overdose on multivitamin supplements �symptoms include nausea, stroke, and even coma. Health is a fine balance. Diet and regular exercise should be enough, but for some of us, supplements help keep the wheels moving.
Naturopathic doctor says hes been taking zinc daily for 20 years
I have been using zinc for 20 years, says Dr Stephen Cabral. Hes a doctor of naturopathy, a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes natural remedies for health promotion.�
Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in the Earths crust. Its also an essential trace element for humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms. In other words, you must have a bit of it in your body at any one time.
Research suggests that about 2 billion people are deficient in zinc. Zinc deficiency is associated with many diseases, and is more common �and more harmful� in the developing world, where it can cause delayed sexual maturation, give people diarrhea, and stunt growth.
On the other hand, having too much zinc can make you lethargic and lead to nervous system problems.
People have been taking zinc as a dietary supplement for years. Usually, it comes in a single tablet and is available over the counter as either zinc oxide, zinc acetate, zinc glauconite, or zinc amino acid chelate.
Why Stephen takes zinc supplements
Dr Cabral recommends supplementary zinc to anybody who runs a little bit more catabolic, has allergies, or finds themselves dealing with viral-based issues or immune-based issues.
Catabolism is what happens when your body digests food, breaking molecules down for use as energy. Metabolic processes break down large molecules into smaller, simpler ones.
If you do aerobic activities like running or swimming, which require lots of oxygen and energy, and do them without feeding your body plenty of carbohydrates to burn as fuel, your body enters a catabolic state where it breaks down muscle and fat tissues for energy instead.
Presumably, when Dr Cabral refers to people who are more catabolic, he means people who, for whatever reason, engage in catabolism at an increased rate, for example by doing aerobic exercise.�
Giving them a little bit more vitamin D can dramatically help the immune system, the gut, tissue repair, and so much more, he says. Zinc helps vitamin D work inside cells, so theres an important relationship between the two.
Im not a megadose nutritional supplement advocate, Dr Cabral goes on. But most people can do anywhere between 25mg and 50mg of zinc daily. He recommends it for use with any longevity, anti-aging based product where youre looking to repair tissue and boost the strength and vitality of the body.
Or, if youd prefer to get your zinc intake from natural sources, try eating beans and nuts (especially cashews), seeds, eggs and diary, and seafood. Oysters are the best source of zinc, bar none.
