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Article: Unzipping zinc's secrets.
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- June 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Without zinc, we couldn't survive. We rely on this mineral to help us taste and digest our food, to grow properly, and even to breathe. It's especially important in the development of boys into men. What's more, we need zinc to help decode the instructions in our genetic material, DNA. Our bodies use these instructions to make the proteins that keep all our complex internal systems running smoothly. Zinc is an essential component of about 400 of these proteins.
Despite zinc's vital role in our health, our bodies need only trace amounts: Adults require from 8 to 11 mg a day for good health. That's about the amount in your favorite zinc-enriched breakfast cereal ...