Vitamin D determines severity in COVID-19 so government advice needs to change, experts urge

Researchers point to changes in government advice in Wales, England and Scotland

May 12, 2020

 

 

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin are calling on the government in Ireland to change recommendations for vitamin D supplements.

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A new publication from Dr Eamon Laird and Professor Rose Anne Kenny, School of Medicine, and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), in collaboration with Professor Jon Rhodes at University of Liverpool, highlights the association between vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19.
The authors of the article, just published in the Irish Medical Journal, analysed all European adult population studies, completed since 1999, which measured vitamin D and compared vitamin D and death rates from COVID-19. The article can be viewed at: http://imj.ie/irish-medical-journal-may-2020-vol-113-no-5/
Vitamin D is produced in the skin from UVB sunlight exposure and is transported to the liver and then the kidney where it is changed into an active hormone that increases calcium transport from food in the gut and ensures calcium is adequate to keep the skeleton strong and free of osteoporosis.
But vitamin D can also support the immune system through a number of immune pathways involved in fighting SARS-CoV-2. Many recent studies confirm the pivotal role of vitamin D in viral infections.
This study shows that, counter intuitively, countries at lower latitude and typically sunny countries, such as Spain and Northern Italy, had low concentrations of vitamin D and high rates of vitamin D deficiency. These countries also experienced the highest infection and death rates in Europe.

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The northern latitude countries of Norway, Finland and Sweden, have higher vitamin D levels despite less UVB sunlight exposure, because supplementation and fortification of foods is more common. These Nordic countries have lower COVID-19 infection and death rates. The correlation between low vitamin D levels and death from COVID-19 is statistically significant.
The authors propose that, whereas optimising vitamin D levels will certainly benefit bone and muscle health, the data suggests that it is also likely to reduce serious COVID-19 complications. This may be because vitamin D is important in regulation and suppression of the inflammatory cytokine response, which causes the severe consequences of COVID-19 and 'acute respiratory distress syndrome' associated with ventilation and death.
Professor Rose Anne Kenny said:
"In England, Scotland and Wales, public health bodies have revised recommendations since the COVID-19 outbreak. Recommendations now state that all adults should take at least 400 IU vitamin D daily. Whereas there are currently no results from randomised controlled trials to conclusively prove that vitamin D beneficially affects COVID-19 outcomes, there is strong circumstantial evidence of associations between vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19 responses, including death."
"This study further confirms this association. We call on the Irish government to update guidelines as a matter of urgency and encourage all adults to take supplements during the COVID-19 crisis. Deficiency is frequent in Ireland. Deficiency is most prevalent with age, obesity, in men, in ethnic minorities, in people with diabetes, hypertension and in nursing homes."
Dr Eamon Laird added:
"Here we see observational evidence of a link of vitamin D with mortality. Optimising vitamin D intake to public health guidelines will certainly have benefits for overall health and support immune function. Research like this is still exploratory and we need further trials to have concrete evidence on the level of vitamin D that is needed for optimal immune function. However, studies like this also remind us how low our vitamin D status is in the population (even in sunny countries) and adds further weight to some sort of mandatory vitamin D fortification policy. If the Nordic countries are allowed to do this, there is no reason Ireland, the UK or rest of Europe can't either."

When Should You Take Zinc

When Should You Take Zinc



The American Lung Association warns that colds are highly contagious and spread easily through droplets of fluid containing the virus. There are several factors that may increase your risk of getting a cold, including the time of the year, your age, your immune system strength and your exposure to a cold virus. Symptoms can include a sore throat, runny nose, coughing, headaches and sneezing.

You have likely noticed that cold symptoms are close to those you may have with seasonal allergies or even flu. With seasonal allergies you may have a stuffy head and runny nose, but the symptoms are usually localized. However, with a cold and flu you often experience body aches and fatigue and you may generally feel miserable.

Influenza is often acquired in the same season as colds, but its symptoms are often worse and may include a fever and body chills. People have long sought remedies to shorten the length or severity of a cold and prevent one altogether.
Although Big Pharma may promise drug options to improve your symptoms, natural options offer effective treatment without the side effects associated with medications.

Short-Term Zinc Can Curtail Your Cold

Unfortunately, there is no cure for a viral infection. Antibiotics are not effective as they work on bacteria and not viruses. Since a virus is unable to replicate independently, it hijacks your normal cells, which in turn makes you feel sick. In most cases, supportive therapy is the recommended treatment as your immune system fights off the virus.

The process your body uses to find, fight and destroy a virus is complex as it employs different types of cells. Zinc is an effective natural remedy that has demonstrated its ability to reduce the length of your cold by an average of 33%.

An analysis of past studies showed that zinc can shorten the duration of the common cold between 28% and 40% using zinc gluconate or zinc acetate. While each was effective to a degree, the study’s authors didn't find a statistically significant difference in duration between those taking a higher dose and those taking a lower one.

In another study⁷ scientists analyzed data published from 1980 to 2003 and found clinical trials that supported the use of zinc to reduce the duration and severity of the common cold. It was noted that zinc consumption is effective when it is started within the first 24 hours of experiencing symptoms.
The action of zinc against the common cold was first investigated by Dr. Ananda Prasad in collaboration with James Fitzgerald, whose proficiency was in the design of research studies.

Although Fitzgerald agreed to help, he was skeptical that zinc could influence the duration or severity of the common cold. The initial study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which people living in Detroit with the common cold were given either zinc lozenges or a placebo.

Fitzgerald told NPR: "Lo and behold, when I did the analysis it indeed did shorten common cold symptoms by about two or three days. I was stunned by that result." While the most current studies also show a positive result in using zinc lozenges, the formulation of the lozenge used in the first study in Detroit isn't available, as Fitzgerald shared with NPR.

Your Results May Vary

Before running out to pick up the first zinc cold lozenge you find, it’s important to recognize there will be differences in the product, which may impact your results. The author of the meta-analysis published in 2017, Dr. Harri Hemilä from the University of Helsinki, cautions it’s difficult to tell you what to purchase.
Products sold at the local drugstore often contain more than zinc, which may interfere with the effectiveness of the product. Multiple ingredients have a way of interacting with each other, even when they are safe and effective when used on their own. For instance, Hemilä says the zinc products you purchase shouldn’t have citric acid in them because citric acid binds with zinc, so it’s not released into your body.
As described in the 2017 meta-analysis, Hemilä found zinc gluconate performed as well as zinc acetate in shortening the length of a cold. In past studies it had been suggested that zinc acetate was the preferred method of delivery since the zinc doesn’t bind as strongly to acetate as it does to gluconate.
The goal of this analysis was to compare the efficiency of zinc to reduce a cold duration after methodology problems were discovered in several past studies and a Cochrane Review of studies was withdrawn when multiple errors were identified.

Hemilä was careful in the selection of clinical trials for the analysis. He didn’t include those in which ingredients in the product may have interfered with the results, such as one trial in which the product contained the sweeteners mannitol and sorbitol. There is some evidence that zinc binds with these sweeteners in the presence of saliva.

Others were excluded since the products contained either citric acid, tartaric acid or sodium bicarbonate — all known to bind with zinc. In each of the studies participants were given more than 75 mg/day of elemental zinc, which you may want to consider if you seek out a zinc lozenge product.

Zinc First Acknowledged as Essential in 1970s

The way zinc first came to the attention of science was again through the work of Prasad. NPR¹³ reports that in the 1960s Prasad was studying the lack of growth and development in young men from Egypt. He hypothesized that the issue may have been a lack of zinc. When given zinc supplements, the young men grew taller than Prasad anticipated.

This began a journey into understanding zinc that Prasad continues to this day as a 91-year-old scientist. He writes of the deficiency, finding,¹⁵ that in the past 50 years nutritional insufficiency may have affected up to 2 billion people in the developing world. He points to one component of cereal proteins, phytate, which reduces the amount of zinc your body can absorb.

Cereal proteins high in phytate include wheat bran, rice bran and wheat gluten. Prasad writes that zinc deficiencies may present with rough skin, impaired immunity, growth retardation and cognitive impairment.

As NPR reports, it wasn’t until the 1970s that zinc was identified as an essential nutrient for human health.¹⁸ The National Institutes of Health recognizes the importance of zinc in relation to:

“… approximately 100 enzymes and it plays a role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division. Zinc also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence and is required for proper sense of taste and smell.”

Cold Remedies That Work

Along with zinc, you could try other remedies with a positive track record for use during the common cold. A perfect example is the healing power of vitamin C. In one study the combination of vitamin C and zinc was more efficient than a placebo and it produced faster symptom relief.

As I’ve written in the recent past, high doses of vitamin C act not only like an antioxidant when you’re sick, but also more like a natural drug without side effects. In the article, “Concerns About Diabetes or Heart Health? Optimize This,” Dr. Suzanne Humphries talks about her work with vitamin C and the importance of using liposomal C to reduce side effects and improve absorption.

It is important to note that large doses of vitamin C or zinc — when taken on a regular basis — impact your copper levels.²¹ So, while temporary doses to combat a cold or flu are helpful, you could compromise your immune system by taking them year-round.

Another simple remedy to help prevent a cold and speed healing is to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is associated with a long list of disorders and life disruptions, including negative impacts on your immune system as well as dementia.The key to recovery is to support your immune system; getting adequate amounts of sleep will help.

If you have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep or feeling rested when you wake up, you may have developed a few habits that are causing trouble. To get yourself back to good sleep habits and feeling well rested each day, see my tips at “Top 33 Tips to Optimize Your Sleep Routine.”

You may want to try adding apple cider vinegar to your routine for the benefits available from its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.²⁴ It may also help boost your immune function by raising the alkalinity in your body. Be sure to seek out a natural, fermented brand with the “mother” intact.

Care for Your Cold and Reduce Potential for Something Worse

There are more steps you can take to protect yourself during the cold and flu season. For instance, getting enough vitamin D is very important. Vitamin D offers powerful antimicrobial activity and is capable of fighting bacteria, viruses and fungi. Low levels can increase your risk of contracting a cold or flu.
Another factor that influences your immune system is stress. You’ve probably noticed that when you’re stressed, you’re more likely to get sick.

Whether the stress is associated with grief, relationship issues or projects at work, the result is the same — you’ll have trouble fighting off an infection. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University investigated why this happens, and found that those who reported being under stress were more likely to get sick when exposed to a virus and then quarantined for five days. When stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol, which temporarily suppress the immune system.

Under chronic psychological stress you become less sensitive to cortisol, which increases your inflammatory response, also impacting the immune system. Lead researcher Sheldon Cohen commented on the results:

"The immune system's ability to regulate inflammation predicts who will develop a cold, but more importantly it provides an explanation of how stress can promote disease. When under stress, cells of the immune system are unable to respond to hormonal control, and consequently, produce levels of inflammation that promote disease.

Because inflammation plays a role in many diseases such as cardiovascular, asthma and autoimmune disorders, this model suggests why stress impacts them as well."

          autoimmune disorders, this model suggests why stress impacts them as well."

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  References

• ¹ American Lung Association
• ² Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• ³ Cnet, July 13, 2019 #3
• ⁴ U.S. National Library of Medicine
• ⁵ British Society for Immunology
• ^6, 10, 12 JRSM Open, 2017;8(5):20542704
• ⁷ Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 2004;44:594
• ^{8, 9, 13, 14, 18} NPR, February 10, 2020
• ¹¹ Cochrane Review, April 30, 2015
• ^15, 17 Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2012;26(2-3):66
• ¹⁶ Science Direct
• ¹⁹ National Institutes of Health
• ²⁰ The Journal of International Medical Research 2012;40:28
• ²¹ Life Extension, September 2000
• ²² Science Daily, January 27, 2017
• ²³ National Institutes of Health, April 24, 2018
• ²⁴ Scientific Reports, 2018; 8: 1732

Daily Deaths of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Daily Deaths of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Date	Daily Deaths	Change in Daily	Change in Daily (%)
May. 11	3,403	-107	-3%
May. 10	3,510	-738	-17%
May. 9	4,248	-1,302	-23%
May. 8	5,550	-39	-1%
May. 7	5,589	-1,222	-18%
May. 6	6,811	1,025	18%
May. 5	5,786	1,690	41%
May. 4	4,096	616	18%
May. 3	3,480	-1,737	-33%
May. 2	5,217	-406	-7%
May. 1	5,623	-172	-3%
Apr. 30	5,795	-798	-12%
Apr. 29	6,593	-95	-1%
Apr. 28	6,688	2,179	48%
Apr. 27	4,509	752	20%
Apr. 26	3,757	-2,344	-38%
Apr. 25	6,101	-316	-5%
Apr. 24	6,417	-288	-4%
Apr. 23	6,705	7	0%
Apr. 22	6,698	-586	-8%
Apr. 21	7,284	1,795	33%
Apr. 20	5,489	595	12%
Apr. 19	4,894	-1,782	-27%
Apr. 18	6,676	-1,753	-21%
Apr. 17	8,429	1,431	20%
Apr. 16	6,998	-1,192	-15%
Apr. 15	8,190	782	11%
Apr. 14	7,408	1,769	31%
Apr. 13	5,639	74	1%
Apr. 12	5,565	-643	-10%
Apr. 11	6,208	-1,139	-16%
Apr. 10	7,347	-319	-4%
Apr. 9	7,666	931	14%
Apr. 8	6,735	-1,157	-15%
Apr. 7	7,892	2,286	41%
Apr. 6	5,606	602	12%
Apr. 5	5,004	-1,062	-18%
Apr. 4	6,066	104	2%
Apr. 3	5,962	-308	-5%
Apr. 2	6,270	1,080	21%
Apr. 1	5,190	481	10%
Mar. 31	4,709	549	13%
Mar. 30	4,160	817	24%
Mar. 29	3,343	-328	-9%
Mar. 28	3,671	202	6%
Mar. 27	3,469	524	18%
Mar. 26	2,945	356	14%
Mar. 25	2,589	103	4%
Mar. 24	2,486	554	29%
Mar. 23	1,932	294	18%
Mar. 22	1,638	-6	0%
Mar. 21	1,644	264	19%
Mar. 20	1,380	286	26%
Mar. 19	1,094	111	11%
Mar. 18	983	163	20%
Mar. 17	820	172	27%
Mar. 16	648	-43	-6%
Mar. 15	691	277	67%
Mar. 14	414	-33	-7%
Mar. 13	447	94	27%
Mar. 12	353	23	7%
Mar. 11	330	56	20%
Mar. 10	274	77	39%
Mar. 9	197	-31	-14%
Mar. 8	228	123	117%
Mar. 7	105	-1	-1%
Mar. 6	106	4	4%
Mar. 5	102	19	23%
Mar. 4	83	-2	-2%
Mar. 3	85	18	27%
Mar. 2	67	-6	-8%
Mar. 1	73	19	35%
Feb. 29	54	-11	-17%
Feb. 28	65	7	12%
Feb. 27	58	21	57%
Feb. 26	37	-27	-42%
Feb. 25	64	-17	-21%
Feb. 24	81	-77	-49%
Feb. 23	158	58	58%
Feb. 22	100	-13	-12%
Feb. 21	113	-8	-7%
Feb. 20	121	4	3%
Feb. 19	117	-19	-14%
Feb. 18	136	38	39%
Feb. 17	98	-8	-8%
Feb. 16	106	-37	-26%
Feb. 15	143	0	0%
Feb. 14	143	21	17%
Feb. 13	122	-24	-16%
Feb. 12	146	49	51%
Feb. 11	97	-11	-10%
Feb. 10	108	11	11%
Feb. 9	97	8	9%
Feb. 8	89	3	3%
Feb. 7	86	13	18%
Feb. 6	73	0	0%
Feb. 5	73	7	11%
Feb. 4	66	2	3%
Feb. 3	64	6	10%
Feb. 2	58	13	29%
Feb. 1	45	-1	-2%
Jan. 31	46	3	7%
Jan. 30	43	5	13%
Jan. 29	38	12	46%
Jan. 28	26	0	0%
Jan. 27	26	2	8%
Jan. 26	24	9	60%
Jan. 25	15	-1	-6%
Jan. 24	16	8	100%

*Feb. 12: Provisional data, pending redistribution resulting from the new diagnosis classification adopted by Hubei starting on Feb. 12

Adequate zinc eases pneumonia in elderly, study finds

August 10, 2010

An new study has revealed that a high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations, but those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations.

A high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations during an observational study funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Aging. The scientists found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations.


The study was led by Simin Nikbin Meydani, director of the Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA.
HNRCA researchers have been studying immune response and respiratory infections in about 600 elderly residents in 33 nursing facilities in the Boston area. Meydani and colleagues previously reported that among the facility residents, those who consumed 200 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily for one year were 20 percent less likely to get upper respiratory infections, such as colds, than those who took a placebo.
The secondary analysis of data from the same clinical trial showed a high proportion of the residents had low serum (blood) zinc concentrations at baseline and after one year of follow-up. All participants had been supplemented with half of the recommended dietary allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc, during the trial.
Those with normal zinc status were not only less likely to develop pneumonia, they also had fewer new prescriptions for antibiotics, a shorter duration of pneumonia, and fewer days of antibiotic use compared with residents who had low zinc levels. In addition, mortality was lower in those with adequate blood zinc levels.
The study suggests that supplementation of zinc-deficient elderly may result in reduced risk of pneumonia. Still, the authors note that controlled clinical trials are needed to test efficacy of zinc supplementation as a low-cost intervention to reduce mortality due to pneumonia among vulnerable populations who already have low zinc levels.
These study results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Story Source:
Materials provided by USDA/Agricultural Research Service. Original written by Rosalie Marion Bliss. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Why Your Body Needs Zinc?

Why Your Body Needs Zinc?

Well beyond helping your body fight off a cold or the flu, zinc plays many other crucial roles within your body. In fact, there are more biological roles for zinc than for all the other trace elements put together. For example, your body contains 300 unique enzymes that require zinc to function normally. Furthermore, researchers estimate about 3,000 proteins out of the roughly 100,000 you have in your body consist predominantly of zinc. Your body needs zinc for:

Blood clotting and wound healing	Gene transcription (the process that allows your cells to read genetic instructions)	Sense of smell and taste
Blood sugar balance	Immune system support	Thyroid health
Cell division and growth	Mood	Vision

Zinc also protects your body against oxidative stress and helps with DNA repair. While some level of oxidative stress is a normal result of your body processes (such as breathing and digestion), many factors — ranging from air pollution to radiation and emotional stress to obesity — can cause an excess of free radicals in your body.

An overabundance of free radicals is associated with oxidative stress. Oxidation is the same process responsible for turning apple flesh brown and rusting metal — it breaks things down. In humans, oxidation accelerates aging.

High levels of oxidative stress affect every organ and organ system in your body. Research suggests oxidative stress is directly linked to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, colitis, dementia, gastric cancer, gastritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

If you are deficient in zinc, your body may be less able to repair genetic damage caused by oxidative stress. On the other hand, if your diet is rich in zinc and other antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, your body will be able to fight back against free radicals.

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 Zinc's Effect on Your Immunity, Mood and Thyroid

As mentioned above, zinc affects your immune system, mood and thyroid. Let's take a closer look at each area.

• Immune system — If you have taken zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold or to help shorten the duration of a cold, flu or infection, you already recognize zinc's role in strengthening your immune system. Zinc plays a vital role in activating your body's T cells, certain white blood cells tasked with destroying infected cells.

If you fall victim to frequent bacterial infections or colds, your body might be trying to tell you it needs more zinc. Given its immune-boosting properties, zinc supplements also can be useful to address bacterial issues such as acne, body odor and dandruff.

• Mood — If you suffer from depression, it is likely that your body has too little zinc. Researchers have observed low serum blood levels of zinc in depressed individuals, which suggests zinc deficiency may trigger chronically poor mood. Depression causes your hippocampus to shrink, and this is the part of your brain involved with emotion, memory and learning.

Because zinc has been shown to protect your hippocampus from the inflammation caused by emotional stress, it is considered to be an important factor in the treatment of depression. Furthermore, zinc can activate your body's production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a crucial metabolic agent needed to counteract brain inflammation and depression.

• Thyroid — Related to your thyroid health, zinc plays a role in making thyroid releasing hormone in your brain, which in turn signals your pituitary gland to make thyroid stimulating hormone. Low zinc is associated with low T3 and a reduced ability for your body to convert T4 to T3, an action also requiring sufficient stores of selenium.

When your zinc levels are low, you may experience many of the characteristic symptoms of low thyroid such as cold hands and feet, sluggish metabolism and thinning hair. Zinc also helps your thyroid hormone bind to the DNA receptors inside your cells. If you are lacking in zinc, your body can't effectively make use of thyroid hormone even if you have normal levels of it in your blood.

4 Signs You May Be Zinc Deficient

Zinc deficiency is common in the developing world and at least 2 billion people are thought to be deficient. In addition, about 12 percent of the U.S. population, and as much as 40 percent of the elderly, are also at risk for zinc deficiency.⁵ Part of the deficit likely results from soil depletion due to conventional farming methods, as well as the use of toxic pesticides such as Roundup.

Beyond the soil concerns, many simply do not eat enough zinc-rich foods, and the mineral is often poorly absorbed. Compounding the problem is the reality that zinc levels are not always tested, and available testing methods are not always accurate. Before you pursue testing, perhaps the best way to determine if you may be deficient is to watch for these common signs your body may need more zinc:

• Lack of appetite
• Depression
• Impaired sense of taste or smell
• Frequent colds, flu or infections

"Zinc deficiencies have been somewhat under the radar because we just don't know that much about mechanisms that control its absorption, role or even how to test for it in people with any accuracy," said Emily Ho, Ph.D., principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, and international expert on the role of dietary zinc.

Signs of Zinc Deficiency That Apply to Children

In children, the presence of zinc deficiency may manifest itself somewhat differently than what is commonly observed in adults. According to Dr. Timothy Wilens, division chief for child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the main symptoms related to zinc insufficiency to look for in children are:

• Excessive dandruff
• Hangnails
• Inflamed cuticles
• Rashes

3 Common Tests Used to Help Identify Low Zinc

Beyond taking notice of any physical symptoms, the most common tests used to help identify zinc deficiencies are:

• Blood test
• Hair analysis
• Oral taste test

Interestingly, the oral taste test involves you holding 10 milliliters of liquid zinc in your mouth for 10 seconds. Because liquid zinc has an intense taste, if your zinc levels are normal, you will probably not be able to tolerate the strong taste for very long. It will taste quite bitter. In fact, you may want to immediately expel the liquid from your mouth!

If you are deficient, however, you will likely be able to hold the zinc in your mouth without any difficulty because it will taste like water. This is so because the absence of sufficient zinc in your body has somewhat disabled your sense of smell and taste, which means you will not be affected by liquid zinc's intensity. In fact, by the ease with which it is tolerating the liquid zinc, your body is signaling you that it desperately needs this mineral.

Whatever method you choose to help diagnose a zinc deficiency, you will want to involve your doctor. Due to the critical role zinc plays within your body, you should approach any zinc-related diet and supplementation changes carefully. In my opinion, you will fare better with the guidance of an experienced medical professional.

Imbalance of Zinc and Copper May Lead to Health Problems

Another reason to involve your doctor to help you optimize your zinc level relates to how zinc interacts with other minerals in your body. You may not realize your body has an intricate method of maintaining balance among trace minerals in your system. A few of those minerals are chromium, copper, iron and zinc. The proper balance among them is more readily achieved when you consume them in real food.

Dietary sources of minerals are more easily balanced by your body, whereas minerals acquired through supplements are harder for your body to manage.  For example, it's important to keep an eye on your zinc-to-copper ratio because excess zinc may lead to a copper deficiency. This is because their absorption patterns in your gastrointestinal tract are similar.

For that reason, it is better to avoid taking supplemental zinc and copper at the same time because competition for absorption may lead to an increase in zinc and a reduction in copper. If you overdo it on zinc, you may have to deal with headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps. As such, you are better off getting your body's zinc needs met from real food.

Symptoms of and Causes for Copper Deficiency

Copper deficiency can be the result of malabsorption, malnutrition or from an excess of zinc in your system. According to researchers at Oregon State University,⁷ high intake of zinc may increase the creation of metallothionein, a cell protein in your intestines that binds to some metals and prevents absorption. Because metallothionein has a greater affinity for copper than zinc, high levels of metallothionein induced by excess zinc cause a decrease in copper absorption.

In contrast, excessive intake of copper has not been found to affect zinc levels. One of the more common symptoms of a copper insufficiency is anemia. As such, your body will not respond to an increase in iron, which is a traditional means of addressing anemia, but it will improve, however, when you supplement with copper.

Copper deficiency may also lead to an abnormally low white blood cell count (neutropenia), which increases your potential for infection. In this instance, you may take a zinc supplement to alleviate your cold symptoms and, at the same time, unknowingly worsen your copper deficiency. Other abnormalities related to copper deficiency include osteoporosis, low infant birth weight and loss of skin pigmentation.