zinc changed my life!!!
Cless986 31 Jan 2010
help boost testosterone for people with low t, and people here gave me a lot helpful of tips like taking ginger, tribulus, sleeping well,
doing alot of exercise but none of them recommended taking zinc!!!
I am a 20 year chinese male and always complained of libido and lack of "manliness" and blamed my parents because I thought that I had hypogadism.... BUT I was very wrong!!!!!
a month ago I bought a zinc supplement and everything changed for me!!! My face withg acne cleared out (I just found that zinc is anti-inflamatory and antibacterial) More libido than before, more energy and I think that I am growing bigger with more muscle!
because for producing t my body needed zinc!!!
So I had a zinc deficiency all along, many problems and the cure was a cheap thing that can be found is any pharmacy!!
Conditions that have in some way been linked to zinc deficiencies include:
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Stretch Marks - reddish or purplish lines throughout the skin, that often turn lighter (whitish or flesh-colored) over time.
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White spots on fingernails
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Lack of sexual development
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Poor appetite
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Delayed puberty
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Short stature
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Frequent infections / poor immune system
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Growth retardation
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Defective connective tissue
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Rickets (bowed limbs, scoliosis, chest deformities)
How much a man in his early 20s needs? I take 50mg everyday specified in the bottle.
What other good supplements I can take along with zinc? I read that selenium and DHEA are good.
thanks
OneScrewLoose 31 Jan 2010
acantelopepope 31 Jan 2010
Zinc and Magnesium usually go hand-in-hand as far as deficiencies. Personally, magnesium produces a noticeable calming and relaxing effect. I take it twice daily in powder form with hot tea.
There are a handful of other supplements that are good like this (like Tribulus Terrestrius from a good source), but I won't list them here right now. I just wanted to also voice my opinion that Zinc is an amazing suppelment. I take 50mg a day and I would especially take it if you're sexually active.
Matt 31 Jan 2010
Cless986 01 Feb 2010
Be careful though. Too much zinc is linked to neurodegeneration.
gosh, any more info??
Chaos Theory 02 Feb 2010
OneScrewLoose 02 Feb 2010
And then there's the fact that men lose a few milligrams every time they ejaculate.. even messier..
Messier indeed. *rimshot*
VampIyer 02 Feb 2010
Unfortunately I have bigger problems zinc cannot address... but yes, my testosterone seems to have come up about 40-50% in the past 3 months. It just needs to uh... increase another 50% and I'll be happy (yes... I was THAT low... and still muscular somehow).
Mr Serendipity 13 Feb 2012
I originally took it for vivid dreams, but seen other benefits.
Crude/Sex Warning, don't read ahead if you don't want to read this stuff.
Positive improvements:
1. Mind feels more focused and relaxed.
2. Feel full of energy.
3. Rock hard erections. Literally rock hard; I've had them before on other things but results were inconsistent. But zinc was a surprise since it's so cheap. Need more time to tell if this will be consistent.
4. Seminal production in overdrive. I had a wet dream that night, then I ejaculated when awake, and it was a lot more than usual.
5. Usually when I smoke, I can't handle it very well in my throat. But it's been healing fast, and I haven't had any problems.
6. Woke up at 3.30am today and feel full of energy (though a little bit tired).
Negative side effects:
1. I get a sharp headache pain for a few seconds (10 secs) once during the day, (not everyday in the last 4, and not sure if related).
2. I feel soo full of energy. But because of this, I also feel a bit hypomanic.
3. Even though I feel more focused and calm, I feel like it's a bit hard to type coherent sentances. I keep rewriting sentances like I have mild OCD.
4. I get bad cramps once in a while.
5. Sleeping pattern has and hasn't improved. Need more time to tell. I'm full of energy even though I woke up at 3.30am, but couldn't get back to sleep. However I don't think my 5mg of melatonin helps.
6. Haven't seen my dreams increase in vividness.
However after a few more days experiments, I'll be able to see the good and the bad more clearly. I've had a screwed up sleeping pattern for most of my life, I can't never get it right, whether with melatonin or tryptophan. I usually can't get up in the morning, or when I do, I can't keep the pattern. But I think zinc will give me the energy not to oversleep, that's one benefit I can see longterm. The other I hope for is rock hard erections. I don't have ED, and get normal erections. But rock hard is out of this world sort. I also think this has had an unexpected nootropic effect on me, and hope I can report back consistent results.
Anyway I'll try to keep you updated.
Guys start taking zinc, 50mg, and give back your results.
Dorian Grey 14 Feb 2012
I take a 50mg dose, but cycle off 2 or 3 days a week. This seems to work well for me.
Thorsten3 14 Feb 2012
SocietyOfMind 14 Feb 2012
brokenportal 14 Feb 2012
Participate in any of the polls on nutrients, forms and amounts and you'll be able to say that you were part of the creation of a multi-vitamin.
mia22 15 Feb 2012
which form of zinc is the best?
"Best" seems a bit vague. Best for what? I use opti zinc. Source naturals includes the copper in theirs. I think a couple other companies do as well.
hippocampus 15 Feb 2012
mia22 15 Feb 2012
which has the best absorption? and what are other differences between gluconate, picolinate, glycinate and others?
I believe optizinc is supposedly the most absorbable. I think picolinate is good as well in terms of absorption. As to the slight differences in structure and effects that is out of my area of expertise.
Remember google is your friend. Well at least when they're not collecting data on you and handing it out....
hippocampus 16 Feb 2012
Dietary Factors Influencing Zinc Absorption
Marginal zinc deficiency and suboptimal zinc status have been recognized in many groups of the population in both less developed and industrialized countries. Although the cause in some cases may be inadequate dietary intake of zinc, inhibitors of zinc absorption are most likely the most common causative factor. Phytate, which is present in staple foods like cereals, corn and rice, has a strong negative effect on zinc absorption from composite meals. Inositol hexaphosphates and pentaphosphates are the phytate forms that exert these negative effects, whereas the lower phosphates have no or little effect on zinc absorption. The removal or reduction of phytate by enzyme (phytase) treatment, precipitation methods, germination, fermentation or plant breeding/genetic engineering markedly improves zinc absorption. Iron can have a negative effect on zinc absorption, if given together in a supplement, whereas no effect is observed when the same amounts are present in a meal as fortificants. Cadmium, which is increasing in the environment, also inhibits zinc absorption. The amount of protein in a meal has a positive effect on zinc absorption, but individual proteins may act differently; e.g., casein has a modest inhibitory effect of zinc absorption compared with other protein sources. Amino acids, such as histidine and methionine, and other low-molecular-weight ions, such as EDTA and organic acids (e.g., citrate), are known to have a positive effect on zinc absorption and have been used for zinc supplements. Knowledge about dietary factors that inhibit zinc absorption and about ways to overcome or remove these factors is essential when designing strategies to improve the zinc nutrition of vulnerable groups.
Inhibits zinc absorption: phytate, IP6, IP5, cereals, corn, rice, iron (as a supplement), cadmium, casein, fiber (not mentioned in this article but I've read it elsewhere)
Positive effect on zinc absorption: histidine, methionine, EDTA, organic acids, phytase (lowers the effect of phytate), protein (but there are exceptions like caseine).
Dorian Grey 16 Feb 2012
Good stuff.
Wolf 17 Feb 2012
I've been taking zinc picolinate for about a month. Seems like it helps some with energy and digestion for me. I started taking it after I got a cold recently and found some zinc gluconate lozenges in the house. I took them and was only really sick for about a day and a half. But I was getting some weird effects like better sense of smell, more energy, better digestion, skin seemed less dry. Didn't know those were all possible effects of zinc. So I got some zinc picolinate after that, but haven't gotten all of those same effects really.
nameless 17 Feb 2012
After going through a bottle of optizinc, I noticed some returning odd symptoms, brittle fingernails, dry skin, and I redid the zinc taste test and didn't do particularly well on it.
I think I did best on zinc citrate or perhaps piccolinate. I don't go crazy with dosing though, 30mg or less. If taking higher doses, I'd only recommend it short-term, until the deficiency is less... deficient.
nowayout 20 Feb 2012
The supplements you mention already exceed this tolerable upper limit. When you add up intake from all sources, including food and multivitamins, I think some of you exceed this limit even much more than you realize.
The fact that high intakes of zinc make you feel better does not mean you necessarily had a zinc deficiency before, unless you had a blood test to prove it. Even if you did, feeling good also doesn't mean that the doses you are currently taking are not excessive.
Dorian Grey 20 Feb 2012
I actually have a very hard time finding low dose supplements now days.
I like taking low dose vitamin-C several times a day rather than thumping big doses once a day. Try looking for vitamin-C at anything less than 1 gram per pill doses. They are out there, but you'll probably need to buy them online. Everything in the stores are megadose.
nowayout 20 Feb 2012
Thanks for the caution viveutvivas... Mega-dosing Madness is a major problem for supplement makers and those who consume them.
I actually have a very hard time finding low dose supplements now days.
I like taking low dose vitamin-C several times a day rather than thumping big doses once a day. Try looking for vitamin-C at anything less than 1 gram per pill doses. They are out there, but you'll probably need to buy them online. Everything in the stores are megadose.
You are so right. I'm on antibiotics and so have been trying to find a sane vitamin B supplement. Impossible.
truboy 29 Jun 2013
Edited by truboy, 29 June 2013 - 11:43 PM.
truboy 08 Jul 2013
bumpBe careful though. Too much zinc is linked to neurodegeneration.
gosh, any more info??