Zinc: The Best Vitamin for Men
Although zinc isn’t a vitamin, it is a micronutrient found in many men’s multivitamins, and it is highly effective and important for helping support performance inside the gym and out.
WHAT MAKES ZINC SO IMPORTANT?
Zinc is an essential micronutrient that is involved in supporting and optimizing several fitness and health parameters. Consequently, getting enough zinc in the diet is imperative for operating at optimal levels.
Testosterone Support
One of the most notable advantages this micronutrient has to offer men is its ability to help manage healthy testosterone levels. Low testosterone can have a negative impact on your health and quality of life.
Zinc is important for everyday function and, consequently, the best vitamin for men who work out consistently. Men that frequently work out and exercise and don’t get enough zinc in their diets can suffer from abnormally low testosterone levels. Low testosterone levels will inevitably affect your ability to grow muscle, burn fat, and even affect your sexual performance and health.
One notable study examined zinc supplementation and testosterone levels in athletes. Researchers discovered that exercising to exhaustion can negatively affect thyroid hormones and testosterone. In other words, exhaustion exercise can inhibit testosterone concentrations but that negative effect was prevented when the test subjects supplemented with zinc for a 4-week period.1
Low zinc levels can leave you operating at subpar levels. According to medical professionals, recommended dietary allowances for men 19 years and older is 11 mg of zinc, and the tolerable upper limit for the same age category is 40 mg.2
Boost Sexual Health
Zinc is often referred to as an aphrodisiac because, along with improving testosterone levels, it provides sexual advantages.
First, having healthy testosterone levels can translate into a better sex life. Both erectile dysfunction and a lack of sex drive are problems that may be as a result of having low testosterone levels.
Additionally, low levels of zinc can lead to poor sperm quality and may also be a risk factor for male infertility.3 Supplementing with zinc can improve sperm quality and sperm count in many individuals.4
Be sure to implement a diet that contains foods rich in zinc like beef, spinach, pork, and even nuts. A good multivitamin will also help you fill in nutritional gaps and help you get enough zinc and other important micronutrients.
IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE
Although there are several important micronutrients that you should make sure you are consuming through a healthy diet and supplementation, zinc’s several advantages qualify it as the best vitamin for men that are not only looking to improve their training results, but also their busy, day-to-day lives.
While zinc supplementation isn’t a cure-all, per se, it certainly has a big impact on men’s health, and it is a micronutrient that men should carefully monitor to make sure the recommended daily amounts are being met.
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Follow on GooglePlusREFERENCES
- Kilic M, et al. The effect of exhaustion exercise on thyroid hormones and testosterone levels of elite athletes receiving oral zinc. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2006 Feb-Apr;27(1-2):247-52.
- Zinc. NIH: National Institutes of Health.
- Colagar AH, Marzony ET, Chaichi MJ. Zinc levels in seminal plasma are associated with sperm quality in fertile and infertile men. Nutr Res. 2009 Feb;29(2):82-8.
- Netter A, Hartoma R, Nahoul K. Effect of zinc administration on plasma testosterone,dihydrotestosterone, and sperm count. Arch Androl. 1981 Aug;7(1):69-73.
B Smith
August 11, 2015
Great article and I can relate to this. When I turned 40 I had my first complete physical done and back then I was considered obese. Now that I am 47, I have changed my diet, started exercising daily, and the right supplements I feel a lot better. Zinc does help, but also being very disciplined in all other areas is going to give you that advantage over the others.