What are the roles and functions of zinc?

Nowadays, many parents hope that their children can grow up healthily, so they give their children various supplements and various trace elements. Among the many trace elements, zinc supplementation is relatively common. Many children have poor appetite and slow growth and development, which is actually caused by zinc deficiency, so zinc supplementation is very important. Next, let’s take a look at the roles and functions of zinc. If your child has zinc deficiency, he or she must supplement it in time.

The role of zinc

It promotes the growth and development of the human body. If children and adolescents in the growth and development period are deficient in zinc, they will suffer from stunted development. Severe deficiency will lead to dwarfism and intellectual disability.

Maintaining normal appetite of the human body, zinc deficiency can lead to decreased sense of taste, anorexia, picky eating and even pica.

Enhance human immunity. Zinc is a nutrient for the development of the immune organ thymus. Only sufficient zinc can effectively ensure the development of the thymus, normal differentiation of T lymphocytes, and promotion of cellular immune function.

Zinc supplements promote the healing of wounds and trauma. They were first used clinically to treat skin diseases.

Zinc affects the metabolism of vitamin A and normal vision. Clinically, zinc is beneficial to the eyes because it promotes the absorption of vitamin A. Zinc is essential for the absorption of vitamin A. Vitamin A is usually stored in the liver. When the body needs it, it is transported to the blood. This process is completed by zinc "mobilization".

The dangers of excessive zinc supplementation

For people who are not zinc deficient, additional supplementation may cause an excess of zinc in the body, leading to metabolic disorders and even damage to the brain.

Taking too much zinc can cause symptoms such as vomiting, headache, diarrhea, convulsions, and may damage brain neurons, leading to memory loss.

In addition, excessive zinc levels in the body may inhibit the body's absorption of iron and copper and cause iron deficiency anemia. It is particularly important to note that excess zinc is difficult to excrete from the body.