The UltraMind Solution (42 page)
Read The UltraMind Solution Online
Authors: Mark Hyman
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We are in a global zinc deficiency epidemic. More than one third of the world’s population is zinc-deficient and in some populations up to 73 percent are deficient.
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This is a
huge
problem because zinc is used by more enzymes (over three hundred) than any other mineral, including those that help your DNA repair, replicate, and synthesize proteins.
Think back to the beginning of this chapter to understand why that’s so important. Your DNA’s job is to build protein. If that stops, your system breaks down from its roots.
Zinc is important in immunity and controlling inflammation, a critical factor in brain dysfunction. It is also extremely important for activating your digestive enzymes; this helps you break down and digest food better and aids in preventing food allergies—one of the chief causes of inflammation (and consequently brain diseases in so many). I will discuss the critical importance of inflammation in brain health in
chapter 8.
Zinc also helps rid the body of heavy metal toxins like mercury by helping
a key enzyme called metallothionein. Problems with metallothionein have been linked to many neurobehavioral problems, including ADHD and autism. In fact, the highest concentration of metallothionein is in the brain, especially in the memory center, or hippocampus.
Low zinc levels have been linked to depression
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as well as changes in behavior, learning, mental function, and susceptibility to convulsions. Zinc is also needed for the enzyme dopamine hydroxylase that makes the happy hormone noradrenaline from dopamine. This is, perhaps, one of the primary reasons zinc deficiency is associated with depression.
There have also been links between zinc deficiency and schizophrenia. It seems that up to 50 percent of schizophrenics have a biochemical quirk called the mauve factor (a chemical by-product from oxidation injury to our fats and proteins).
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These odd compounds can bind to zinc and vitamin B
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, leading to a functional zinc deficiency.