Zinc in Cereal--Response to DearEsther

[Guest guest]

Hi Esther and everyone,

Interesting subject! As Dr. explained to me, we have to ingest the

minerals and then they have to get to our cells. Each mineral has specific

amino acid carriers which grab that mineral and carry it to the cells. He

told me the names of two amino acid transporters for copper and other minerals

have their own transporters.

The supplements we buy at the store are already attached to the transporter

(these supplements are called amino acid chelates), so we don't have to worry

about the transportation problem. If we develop mineral deficiencies we have

a problem with food choices, digestion, or transporters. A grain like oats

may have zinc but do we have the protein to manufacture the amino acid

transporter. Or what happens if we have a metabolic problem and can't

manufacture the transporter? Or what happens if our food has too much fiber

(like bran) and the intestinal transit time is too short for complete mineral

absorption?

So even though your cereal states that it has zinc, we can't rely on their

25% daily requirement information. Maybe that's true for 12 year olds or

olympic athletes who can digest well enough to get their minerals out of a box

of crayons or a fast food meal. We have different digestive capacities so we

need to know how many milligrams per serving so we can figure it out for

ourselves.

I know I've had digestive problems for many years and this almost certainly

was a contributing factor in my getting hyperthyroidism. While I was

recovering I felt nauseous every morning. I used to think this was amy body's

signal not to eat, but when I deduced that hyperT was a deficiency disease, I

forced myself to eat breakfast every day and to generally eat as much as I

could force down. The nausea has been decreasing and I feel it only rarely

now.

I mentioned in a past post that I believe digestion may be a very important

factor in hyperT and I recommended taking digestive enzymes. One researcher

wrote that he thought that many so-called degenerative diseases could be

avoided or corrected through the use of digestive enzymes. I started taking a

Twin Lab digestive enzyme called Super Enzyme Caps. Shortly afterward I

started getting a little rapid heart beat upon awakening in the morning, which

I hadn't experienced in months. After several weeks of experimenting to find

out what was causing this I realized that the only thing different about my

supplements was this digestive enzyme. I stopped taking it and the symptoms

have disappeared. I find it very bizarre and have absolutely no explanation.

All I can say is if you choose to experiment with digestive enzymes, pay

attention. In theory it seems like a great idea.

I really believe that by supplementing our bodies with every nutrient it

needs, we should get healthier and that includes our digestive systems.

Hopefully we can all get healthy enough so that we don't need supplements on a

regular basis and can go about life as we are intended to---oblivious to our

internal bodily workings.

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