Zinc deficiency, mental health and disordered eating
There is one common denominator, and it is becoming more common
Zinc deficiency is a global issue. So too are mental health disorders. Disordered eating among young people is rising exponentially. Is meat-avoidance the common denominator?
It’s complicated, and some might say tenuous, but when you look at the studies linking all three, a plausible picture begins to emerge.
Zinc is a trace element that plays an essential role in just about every function of the body, including growth, immunity, DNA synthesis, enzyme activity and hormone regulation. It is also one of the most abundant metal ions in the central nervous system and is highly concentrated in the brain.
The brain does not function without this metal, which must be supplied in the diet. Signs and symptoms of deficiency are both physical and mental. These include skin problems, poor wound healing and frequent infections. They also include behavioural changes, depressed mood, ADHD, autism, dementia, impaired appetite and poor sense of taste and smell.
Zinc and appetite
Diminished appetite is one of the first noticeable signs of zinc deficiency. In rats, which are animals that experience remarkably similar symptoms of insufficiency to humans, decreased appetite occurs “well in advance of any other symptoms associated with zinc deficiency”. Administering zinc to rats “rapidly stimulates food intake” during early-stage zinc deficiency via the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body, connecting the gut to the brain.
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