Why is There a Major Zinc Deficiency Problem in India and Pakistan - Dr. Berg

So today I want to talk about , an actual big problem that's occurring in India and Pakistan .

It's a micronutrient deficiency and that micronutrient is zinc .

This is a major problem with not having enough zinc especially in pregnant lactating women and small children .

And the reason for this is that zinc is involved in so many biochemical reactions in the body .

It's a cofactor for more than a 1000 enzymes .

Now and when I say a cofactor for a 1000 enzymes , I have to define what that means .

Okay ?

Cofactors are helper molecules , and an enzyme is a type of protein .

Now when you think about proteins , you may think about enzymes when you when you actually eat food .

You also may think of , hair , nails , skin , but proteins go way beyond that .

Proteins are involved in many , many things , DNA repair , detoxification , building your immune system .

So nearly all the structural parts of our body like tendons , ligaments , connective tissue , our protein , but also the functional parts as well .

The little proteins that do the work of the body that take food , turn into body tissue , and then take tissue and recycle it , gets rid of waste .

It's involved in so many factors .

So if someone is deficient in zinc , here are just a few things that may occur .

Number 1 is diarrhea .

That's one of the big symptoms .

A problem with this symptom is that diarrhea also will cause a major deficiency of zinc because you're gonna lose your electrolytes .

Underweight , because zinc is involved in metabolism .

Stuntic growth , because zinc is involved in a growing body .

Cognitive defects , so memory , lack of attention , focus , and even IQ .

Susceptibility to malaria , pneumonia and viruses .

This is why a lot of people take zinc when they get sick because it actually helps your immune system .

It actually helps support the proteins involved in your immune system .

Skin problems .

That could be dermatitis , psoriasis , dandruff , all sorts of skin problems .

Stomach ulcers , low testosterone , alopecia , which is a loss of hair , different patches , that's an autoimmune condition .

And by the way , zinc is involved in a lot of autoimmune conditions .

And if you're deficient in zinc , you can have a lot of inflammation in the body as well , and of course , a low thyroid .

Alright .

So now the question is , why is there such a massive deficiency ?

And by the way , 2,000,000,000 people worldwide are deficient in zinc .

Number one reason is phytic acid .

What is phytic acid ?

This is a chemical compound naturally found in bran , in the rice , in the grains .

It's also in the beans .

It's in the raw nuts and corn .

Nuts being raw almonds and especially raw walnuts .

Okay ?

Because when you heat it , you can actually destroy this phytic acid .

Another name for phytic acid is phytates .

So if you're consuming a lot of rice , especially brown rice by the way , or whole grains , you're gonna have higher levels of phytic acid and that is going to bind the zinc and you're it's gonna create a zinc deficiency .

Especially if your diet is mostly these foods .

K ?

And of course this relates to the next one , being a vegan .

Now the best source of zinc , and I'm talking about bioavailability , is is animal products like beef .

And it's also in seafood like oysters , fish , lamb .

And if you are a vegan or you just can't afford meat and you're doing mostly grains or cereals , you're gonna get a zinc deficiency .

And diarrhea , I've already talked about that .

But let's say , for example , you have , an infection that's causing diarrhea or a parasite or a microbe , that can set you up for a zinc deficiency .

And let's say , for example , you're doing white rice or you're doing , white flour products , okay , as in refined grains .

Well guess what ?

Refined grains and refined sugars will actually cause a zinc deficiency itself .

So not only do we have the whole grains , we have the refined grains causing this zinc deficiency creating a lot of problems .

Alright .

In summary , if you know someone who's pregnant or lactating , make sure they're taking a trace mineral or having enough foods that are high in Zinc .

I put a link down below so you can get more data on that .

Also , children , make sure they're taking a trace mineral , to include not just zinc , but all the trace minerals .

Very , very important , like iodine , selenium , and even iron .

And lastly and most importantly , get them on a healthy keto plan to avoid these foods that are not keto friendly .

And that way , you don't have to worry about it in the first place .

Thanks for watching .

Hey .

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