Author: Joan Haynes, NMD

During covid, many of us started taking zinc supplements to help our immunity.  But now, many are overdoing it!  It’s common for me to see people taking a high dose such as 50 mg or more daily for years on end! 

Functions of Zinc:

• Part of immune system to fight off invading bacteria and viruses
• Helps make DNA and proteins
• Speeds wound healing
• Part of thyroid function
• Maintains a healthy prostate
• Important for proper sense of taste and smell

Zinc can be Harmful:

• Too much for too long can LOWER your immunity
• An excess can lower copper levels
• GI symptoms – nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite
• Can cause low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• Too much can make prostate cancer worse

Copper Deficiency Caused by high Zinc Levels

Low copper can cause symptoms of anemia, low body temperature, bone fractures and osteoporosis, low white blood cell count, irregular heartbeat, loss of pigment from the skin and thyroid problems.  Copper needs to be balanced with not only zinc but also manganese.  If you are taking zinc, you should be taking copper and a multimineral too! Adults need about 900 mcg of copper daily.  1 – 2 mg daily is a common daily dose when supplementing.    

How Much Zinc do Adults Need?

Adult females 8 mg

Adult males 11 mg

(see Resources below)

Worried you’ve Overdone it? 3 Options for Testing

1. Your doctor can order blood tests and you can see if insurance will cover. 
2. You can order your own zinc and copper blood tests at https://www.ultalabtests.com/.  Inexpensive tests but no insurance coverage.  Individual mineral tests run $10 – $60

While you are testing – consider running a couple more important mineral tests:  ferritin, mercury, and lead.   Ask your doctor to make a list for you if you want to add others.

• We can order you comprehensive blood spot and dried urine tests.  The Heavy Metals & Essential Elements Testlooks at 14 nutritional and toxic metals.  Here is a sample test, it comes with a multipage report.  $179

Look for Zinc in your Diet

Whole foods have zinc and other minerals – beef, chicken, nuts, dark leafy greens, whole grains, beans.  It takes at least 4 cups of plant foods per day to meet your minimum requirements. 

A great article about foods rich in zinc: https://www.everydayhealth.com/pictures/best-food-sources-zinc/

When to Add more Zinc

• When considering a multivitamin, look for one that contains no more than 15 mg/zinc/day.
• If you are coming down with an infection or recovering from an injury or surgery, extra zinc might makes sense.  Check your multi first and take that amount into account for your daily total. Adults can consider taking total of 25 – 50 mg once a day for a about 1 month.  Take a low dose copper supplement  – again, check your multi first. 
• Take zinc supplements WITH FOOD due to nausea which is a common complaint. 

Resources:

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/#:~:text=Signs%20of%20too%20much%20zinc,cholesterol%2C%20and%20low%20copper%20levels.

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/foods-high-in-zinc

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/copper#:~:text=Many%20people%20do%20not%20get,the%20skin%2C%20and%20thyroid%20problems.

Trouble digesting dairy is not really a disorder, it’s just a natural variation in how our digestive system works. Most people in the world have trouble digesting dairy past infancy and symptoms can get worse with age.

Here are some tips and tricks to survive in a dairy filled world.  

Learn Your Dairy Vocabulary

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose is a sugar in milk that requires our body to make lactase, a digestive enzyme to breakdown and absorb lactose.  About 65% of adults worldwide can’t breakdown and absorb lactose. 

Secondary lactose intolerance, which is often caused by damage to your intestines, might be reversible after your small intestine recovers.  The damage can be sudden, often caused by radiation therapy, celiac disease, inflammation in colon, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, infections in the intestines, and other food intolerances. 

Dairy allergy

A true allergy to dairy food is rare.  These sudden and sometimes extreme reactions are mediated by IgE antibodies, which can be tested for.   May need to carry an Epi Pen. 

Dairy sensitivity or intolerance (milk protein intolerance)

This is a common intolerance to milk proteins such as casein and whey (as opposed to intolerance to the sugars with lactose intolerance).  It can be measured by immune marker IgG. 

Symptoms are often gastrointestinal related but can also show up in other body systems such as headaches, fatigue, frequent infections, respiratory problems and more.

For more information about food testing, here’s another BNHC article:

Are Foods Causing Your Symptoms? Understanding Testing Options – Boise Natural Health Clinic

Pareve or Parve

If a label says Pareve or Parve, it is milk-free to conform to Jewish food laws.

Whey, casein, caseinate, lactalbumin, lactose

These are all forms of dairy that are added to foods for flavor or to improve nutritional content.

Ingredients that do not contain dairy (but sound like they do)

Calcium lactate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, cocoa butter, cream of tartar, lactic acid, oleoresin, sodium lactate, sodium stearoyl lactylate. 

Hidden Sources of Dairy

Battered fried foods, biscuits, breads, breakfast cereals, cakes, chewing gum, chocolate, cookies, cream sauces, cream soups, custard, deli meat, ghee, gravies, hot dogs, ice cream, imitation sour cream, instant mashed potatoes, malted milk, margarine, muesli, muffins, nougat, packaged soups, paneer,  pies, puddings, sausages, sherbet, soy cheese, tuna fish (canned), soup mixes. 

Another source: restaurants may put butter on steaks after grilling to add flavor. 

Dairy Substitutes

• Dairy free cheese, milk, creamer, sour cream –We are in the hey-day of dairy free products, and they have improved so much in recent years.
• Avocado – the texture and fat make it a great pretend cheese
• Look for the word “vegan” on packaging as an easy way to tell if dairy free.
• The Treasure Valley has some awesome creamy, non-dairy options for ice cream:

https://www.stellaicecream.com/boise

https://ilovethestil.com/

https://www.lovejoysicecream.com/

When You Want to Indulge – some kinds of dairy may be better

People generally do worse on milk, soft cheese, and especially ice cream.  However, there is less lactose and you are likely to have less symptoms with drier, aged cheeses (such as parmesan), fermented dairy such as yogurt, and goat or sheep milk products (instead of cow). 

If you do have dairy, choose smaller servings and eat with other food to help digestion.

Lactase & Enzyme Supplements

These are tablets or drops you take before consuming lactose that provide the enzyme to break lactose down.  Potentially worth a try if you are just lactose intolerant.  Won’t help with a dairy protein sensitivity. 

We recommend Enzymedica Digest Spectrum which has high-potency enzymes to support digestion of foods containing both gluten and dairy, as well as vegetables and beans.  You can shop on your BNHC Fullscript account:

https://us.fullscript.com/protocols/boisenaturalhealth-dairy-and-or-gluten-sensitivity-digestive-enzymes

Link to Fullscript – Digest Spectrum Enzymedica

Is Dairy Addictive?

It’s not just cravings, we can get hooked.  A protein found in cheese comes from casein which, during digestion, releases casomorphins, a substance chemically similar to opioids.  These casomorphins can attach themselves to the same receptors in our brains as heroin and other narcotics resulting in a little hit of dopamine and increased cravings.