Bodybuilders and professional athletes have a greater need for minerals than average fitness enthusiasts. This is because minerals are crucial for supporting recovery and improving health for the professionals who indulge in intense training. Also, minerals are readily lost through sweat, so bodybuilders and athletes need to emphasize replacing them to avoid any deficits.
Therefore, bodybuilders need all the minerals in sufficient amounts to perform at the very peak every time. And zinc is one such mineral that they need to focus on.
What is Zinc?
Zinc is one of the numerous trace minerals that your body requires for optimal health. However, because the body cannot synthesize zinc, it must be obtained from food or supplementation.
Zinc is required for a wide variety of biological processes. It catalyzes the activity of over 100 distinct enzymes and DNA transcription. Without an adequate intake of zinc, your body would be compromised of normal development, infection resistance, or proper healing.
A healthy human body has approximately 2 to 4 g of zinc, particularly stored in the bones, muscles, brain, liver, kidneys, eyes, and prostate gland. To maintain this level, we must consume zinc-rich foods such as meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and nuts.
So, now the question arises about how zinc helps bodybuilders and athletes achieve their fitness goals. Below are some of the significant benefits of incorporating zinc into your daily diet.
Helps to Build Lean Muscle Mass
Muscles contain zinc, which aids in cell division and enzyme function. Zinc has three main functions in the body, which is relevant to those looking to gain lean muscle. These include accelerating chemical reactions required for muscle growth, stabilizing protein structures, and regulating hormone levels.
All three processes aid in muscle protein synthesis, which transpires during resistance exercise. Remember that to create lean muscle; you must first maintain the size of your existing muscles. Zinc's antioxidant properties assist muscle cells from free radicals that would otherwise contribute to the declination of muscle tissues.
Boosts Immunity
T lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell, are activated by zinc, found in small amounts in the body. These cells play a crucial role in building the immune defence of your body. T cells can neutralize pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi and help your body fight against infection or disease. Zinc deficiency weakens the immune system, making you more susceptible to diseases that your body would usually be able to fight off. For athletes and bodybuilders, proper zinc intake becomes even more critical because being sidelined with a viral infection or other ailments can cause them to miss vital workout time and lag behind their training regime.
Helps to Recover Quickly
It is well-known that zinc is a powerful muscle recovery and muscle-building catalyst. It helps to build and protect your body while you're recovering from an injury. It is beneficial to supplement with zinc after an intense workout to help with muscle recovery. During a workout, your muscles rip and tear themselves, so you need to be sure you're taking a potent supplement to help them mend and recover faster. Zinc is also effective after any muscle tear, or that which needs to be repaired after orthopedic surgery or an injury. A zinc supplement can assist you in maintaining the health of your knees, shoulders, hips, and other joints at all times, which will benefit your overall health.
Improves Aerobic Performance
Your "VO2max," also known as aerobic capacity, is a measurement of how much oxygen your body can deliver to your muscles. If the amount of oxygen supplied is insufficient, your athletic performance may be hindered. According to research, optimal zinc levels increase maximum oxygen uptake and enhances your performance.
If you want to know more about VO2 max, check out our detailed article – What is VO2 Max? & Why Is It Important? While you are reading this, don’t forget to calculate your VO2 Max by using Epicvita VO2 Max Tool.
Improves Bone Health and Performance
Athletes with low zinc levels are at risk for decreased bone mineral density, leading to bone fractures. Zinc is necessary to form collagen tissue, unite bone fractures, heal wounds, and prevent osteoporosis. Improving bone health also leads to an increase in performance of the athletes as bones can sustain more load and help enhance their performance.
Are There Any Side Effects?
No major side effects of zinc have been reported, but taking zinc supplements over 40 mg every day may not be safe over the long term. At such high doses, zinc may cause diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. Therefore, limiting your zinc intake to 25-30 mg is advisable to get the best results.
Why Do Bodybuilders Need to Supplement It?
Very little zinc is present in the 'modern' diet. Furthermore, zinc is now almost non - existent in cropland, so foods that used to contain high levels of zinc no longer do. Therefore, bodybuilders need to supplement zinc in the form of a good multivitamin like Maximult from Epicvita for both Men and Women. This will help them to reach their RDA of zinc every day and maintain or enhance their performance.
References
Hernández-Camacho, J. D., Vicente-García, C., Parsons, D. S., & Navas-Enamorado, I. (2020). Zinc at the crossroads of exercise and proteostasis. Redox Biology,35, 101529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2020.101529
Prasad, A. S. (2008). Zinc in Human Health: Effect of Zinc on Immune Cells.Molecular Medicine, 14(5–6), 353–357. https://doi.org/10.2119/2008-00033.prasad
Jayawardena, R., Ranasinghe, P., Kodithuwakku, W., Dalpatadu, C., & Attia, J. (2021). Zinc supplementation in pre-diabetes Mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Minerva Endocrinology. Published. https://doi.org/10.23736/s2724-6507.21.03234-x
Wessels, I., Maywald, M., & Rink, L. (2017). Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function.Nutrients,9(12), 1286. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9121286
