Zinc is for Zoom

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Zinc is for ZoomIn the alphabet soup of vitamins and minerals, don't forget zinc. Zinc helps you maintain your energy levels, according to research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In a two-year study, 14 men either consumed 3.5 milligrams (mg) of zinc through their daily diets or took 15mg of zinc supplement. When tested on a stationary bike, those with the extra zinc could go longer and had lower heart rates and greater max VO2 (volume of oxygen).The study's author, Dr Henry Lukaski of the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Centre, says zinc fuels enzymes in your red blood cells that clear out excess carbon dioxide during exercise. Nearly 20 per cent of men don't take in the recommended 11mg per day, so look to fortified cereals, beans and lean red meat. Or take a multivitamin, which will give you an easy 15mg.