November 30, 2020

A zinc shortage could be the reason for the difference between mild and severe symptoms for the Corona virus. Most people have a zinc shortage, while zinc is critical to immunity.

The only significant source of zinc for most persons is red meat, while bureaucrats say to eat less red meat. Bureaucrats get a lot wrong.

There is not much zinc in plant sources of food. Vegetarian type animals, herbivores, have a shortage of zinc. They can sometimes be seen eating soil. Scientists don't know why; but the reason could be to get zinc.

Humans evolved an increased dependence upon zinc as they became omnivores adding meat to the diet of their ancestors. The most significant reason for increased zinc dependence is because zinc strengthens the immune system. However, zinc also strengthens bones, which may have been the determining factor in allowing apes to get larger than monkeys.

This evolution occurred so recently that the physiology of zinc has not been independently developed and copper metabolism is disrupted by zinc metabolism. Zinc virtually hijacks the copper metabolizing physiology. That problem may be at the absorption stage only, as the proteins required for absorption are used for several minerals which must compete for availability.

Evolution is minimalist. The slightest benefits will be selected for in survival of the fittest. What it means is that even though zinc is not highly available, an increase in zinc dependence improved resistance to disease, particularly viruses. Therefore, humans benefit from increasing the amount of zinc they ingest by taking zinc supplements.

But they must also take copper, because the increased zinc will create a copper shortage by disrupting copper metabolism (or absorption). The copper must be taken at a different time than when zinc is taken.

Medical doctors have been promoting the use of zinc for the flu virus but haven't been saying much about it for the Corona virus. The immunology would be similar.

Taking Zinc Supplement

My experience creates a preliminary indication that Vitamin C should not be taken two hours before or after taking zinc, because Vitamin C reduces zinc to an ineffective form.

Zinc is normally taken as zinc gluconate, where zinc is in the plus two form of the ion. Perhaps Vitamin C reduces zinc to the plus one or even the nonionic form.

Vitamin C can prevent free iron from oxidizing to the plus three (ferric) form which is very toxic. People take iron in the plus two (ferrous) form. So Vitamin C does need to be taken with iron, but not with zinc.

Metals as supplements are difficult for the liver to handle. So metals should not be taken in large amounts or on an empty stomach which speeds up absorption, or they can damage the liver.

Addendum:

In February 2021, a study supposedly showed zinc to be of no benefit for the Covid disease. It showed nothing. It was given to ill patients along with some getting vitamin C. The patients getting zinc recovered in six days, while the ones who did not get the zinc recovered in seven days, which was not assumed to be significant.

Everything about that study was corruption. Ill persons with their tissues damaged by that virus cannot repair the damage in less than six days. To show relevance should compare the ability of zinc to prevent the disease rather than repair the damage.

Mineral studies on health are extremely difficult to produce, because they would need to be compared with an absence of minerals. What relevance is giving someone minerals if they are not short on the minerals?

A lot of people are short on zinc, because there is very little zinc in plants; but there is a lot of variation between persons. Livestock producers usually feed zinc, so meat eaters get some. Vegetarians would all be short on zinc if they don't take zinc supplements; but they aren't being told that.

Giving zinc without copper would have created a copper shortage, because copper cannot be used while zinc is being supplied. Ideally, copper would be taken early in the mornings and zinc much later, ideally more than once.