Chemically similar to magnesium, zinc is a metallic chemical element with five stable isotopes. It is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth's crust and an essential mineral for growth, development, reproduction, immune function and cellular metabolism. Without zinc, more than 100 different enzymes would be unable to perform their catalytic chemical reactions. Furthermore, cell membranes would be less stable and more susceptible to oxidation.

According to the Linus Pauling Institute's writings on zinc in 2003, "The significance of zinc in human nutrition and public health was recognized relatively recently. Clinical zinc deficiency in humans was first described in 1961, when the consumption of diets with low zinc bioavailability due to high phytic acid content was associated with "adolescent nutritional dwarfism" in the Middle East."

In ancient times, zinc was employed by alchemists for a myriad of purposes including the making of "philosopher's wool" or "white snow," which entailed burning the zinc in the air. Later, zinc was combined with copper to form the alloy known as brass. Today, it is used in compounds for a variety of applications such as anti-dandruff shampoo, deodorants, luminescent paints and, of course, health and nutrition.

When one is deficient in zinc, the symptoms can be nasty. Retarded growth, impaired immune function, skin rashes, diarrhea, increased risk of malaria, increased risk of pneumonia and neurological impairment are just a few of the problems associated with a lack of this powerful mineral. Infants, pregnant women, anorexics, strict vegetarians or vegans, people with Crohn's disease, people with sickle cell anemia and senior citizens should all be extra weary of zinc deficiency.

They may want to boost their dietary intake with natural sources of zinc such as red meat, eggs, shellfish, legumes, nuts and leavened breads. Recently, national dietary surveys in the U.S. estimated that the average dietary zinc intake was 9 mg/day for adult women and 13 mg/day for adult men.

Or, zinc levels can be maintained and/or stabilized with a reliable supplement such as zinc gluconate, zinc picolinate, zinc acetate or zinc sulfate. If is often thought that these forms of the mineral are easily absorbed into the body although more studies on this subject should be performed.

WARNING: Too much zinc can increase the danger of copper deficiency. Also, the FDA reports that zinc, especially when inhaled through intranasal cold products, can damage nerve receptors in the nose and cause anosmia — the loss of the sense of smell. As of June 16, 2009, the FDA ordered the removal of zinc-based intranasal cold products. The reasoning for this recent development was that the loss of smell can be life-threatening in certain situations.

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