The Importance Of Zinc In An Athletes Diet. Sports And Diet.Your Good Eating Habits Can Improve Your Athletic Performance On The Field.

the importance of zinc and peak athletic performance

your athletic performance is directly linked to what you eat

The research and chief scientific arm of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), released a study which highlights what many health professionals have long suspected: peak athletic performance is dependant on a diet that includes adequate zinc, as well as copper and iron intake.

In fact, many athletes who do not eat beef, the major source of zinc, and load up on carbohydrates may well be zinc deficient. Wrestlers, ballerinas and gymnasts who eat sparingly to maintain a low body weight may also be at risk of not getting enough zinc. "The ARS study on athletes and zinc intake is timely as collegiate athletic programs start this fall. Coaches and team trainers of every sport should ensure that zinc-rich foods are on the training table," stated George Vary, Executive Director of the American Zinc Association.

ARS physiologist Henry Lukaski studied the effect of a low-zinc diet on twelve athletic men in their twenties. Based at the USDA's Grand Forks, N.D., Human Nutrition Research Center, Lukaski wanted to fill in the limited data on low-zinc intake. The focus was on a zinc-containing enzyme — carbonic anhydrase — in red blood cells.

This enzyme assists red blood cells pick up carbon dioxide and drop it off in the lungs to be exhaled. This exchange is paramount in maintaining the balanced chemical environment muscle cells need to enable them to contract efficiently and produce energy.

For 9 weeks each, the athletes ate a diet containing eighteen milligrams of zinc each day — slightly more than the Recommended Daily Allowance of fifteen mg/day — and another containing onlythree mg/day — 1/5 of the RDA.

After the low-zinc diet, the athletes had a measurable decrease in peak oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output as they cycled flat-out on an ergometer. Their respiratory exchange ratios also decreased, indicating energy production during peak exercise was not up to par. The activity of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme also was lower after the low-zinc diet.

Dr. Forrest Nielson, Director of the Grand Forks Human Research Center and a member of the newly formed Zinc Information Nutrition Center's Scientific Advisory Board, said, "We are pleased with Henry's findings which underscore the fact that zinc is an important nutrient and people, including athletes, should take the recommended daily allowance of zinc."

The Zinc Information Nutrition Center should be in operation by the end of September and will serve as a clearinghouse of information available to the general public on the many healthful benefits of zinc.

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