What Is the Relationship Between Testosterone & Zinc?

Zinc deficiencies are common today, and yet few people are aware of their need for this vital nutrient. Up to 98 percent of athletes are zinc deficient, which negatively influences both their performance and recovery. When you are zinc deficient, your ability to balance your hormones, including testosterone, is diminished, thus preventing you from making optimal progress in your health and fitness efforts.

What is Zinc?

• Zinc is an essential mineral that is often found in foods containing high amounts of protein, like meat or nuts and seeds. Zinc is involved in more than 300 of the body's different metabolic enzymes and is also a large factor in both immune function and hormone function.

What is Testosterone?

• Testosterone typically referred to as the male hormone. This hormone is related to a number of functions, but the most commonly known are increases in muscle mass and fertility. Low testosterone creates an environment in the body where it is difficult to build and keep muscle, and easy to gain fat. Additionally, low testosterone leads to decreased rates of fertility in men.

How Zinc Helps Testosterone Levels

• Having healthy levels of zinc prevents excessive function of an enzyme in the body called aromatase. The aromatase enzyme is responsible for turning testosterone into estrogen. If this enzyme is too active, it converts more testosterone than it should into estrogen, thus throwing off your testosterone and estrogen balance.

  Additionally, adequate zinc levels allow for adequate levels of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones, which are the hormones that tell your body to increase testosterone production.

How to Test for a Zinc Deficiency

• Statistically, if your testosterone is low then you have a zinc deficiency, but there are a couple other inexpensive ways to test to be sure. The Red Blood Cell Zinc test is a simple test your doctor can run. It is accurate at determining if your body has adequate levels of zinc that it can use.

  Another simple way to test is to use a zinc sulfate taste test. If you drink a zinc sulfate solution and it tastes metallic or unpleasant, it means your zinc levels are adequate. If you drink it and it tastes like water, then you are deficient.

How to Replenish You Zinc Levels

• In addition to eating zinc-containing foods, the best way correct a zinc deficiency is with supplementation. There are two supplements that are good at increasing your zinc levels quickly. Zinc picolinate is a highly absorbable form of zinc that often comes in high doses. Additionally, ZMA is good supplement that contains 30mg of zinc, 200 percent of the daily value, along with vitamin B-6 and magnesium. The best method would be to use both supplements: 50mg of zinc picolinate one to three times per day with food, and one serving of ZMA right before bed on an empty stomach. The more deficient you are, the more you can use; however, you will want to decrease your dose to 100 to 200 percent of the daily recommended intake once your levels return to normal.