JohnChops said:
Zma is so expensive, not worth it because it hasn't been proven to increase test. Levels anyway. You can get zinc in foods though.
JohnChops said:
Zma is so expensive, not worth it because it hasn't been proven to increase test. Levels anyway. You can get zinc in foods though.
For the vast majority of guys, especially the ones working out hard, its not enough, due mostly to a few things:
1) Intake of foods containing too much phytic acid which robs the body of nutrients and minerals such as zinc. Foods such as grains, rice, legumes, oats, corn, etc. Humans intake of these foods has exploded over the last 50 years and it is not surprising why our health has declined just as fast. These foods are considered "anti-nutrients" by some, stealing more nutrients from the body than they put in, due to their high levels of phytic acid. No matter how much zinc you are geting from foods, if you are eating high amounts of these foods(and really almost all people lifting are since they are carb staples) you are likely going to be zinc deficient and probably several other minerals and nutrients as well.
2) High intake of copper from sources such as drinking water(copper pipes), cookware, vegetables, multivitamins, etc. Copper and zinc are antagonists, meaning they cancel each other out. High copper levels deplete zinc and high zinc levels deplete copper inside the body. We are getting way too much copper in our diets from the above sources, in many cases due to no fault of our own, and it is reeking havoc on our zinc levels. Males are supposed to be zinc based in roughly a 10:1 ratio, females are supposed to be copper based. Zinc controls 3% of our gene expressions as men, and they have actually found what are known as "Zinc Fingers" on DNA strands that are activated by zinc wrapping around them. Without zinc, these genes cannot be activated.
It includes important things such as hormonal balance, aromatase enzyme activation and many other muscular and body composition related functions, lack of zinc has very negative effects in male musculature, leading to excessive copper which causes a rise in estrogen(its a female related mineral) and a lowering of testosterone(zinc related), definitely not what any man wants.
3) Excessive Heavy Metals in the body(especially Mercury from tuna or fillings). Heavy metals block the receptor sites for zinc, ecause the body has a stronger affinity for these denser, heavier metals, not allowing zinc to get attached and used by the body, regardless of your zinc intake levels. This was a big problem for me as I had many fillings for a long time and even taking 200 mg of zinc picolinate I still showed very low zinc levels. The zinc was floating around my body but had nowhere to go.
My advice to everyone is to get an aqueous zinc challenge solution which is very inexpensive, but will tell you quickly and easily whether your zinc levels are up to par. You simply take 2 teaspoons in your mouth, hold it for about 20 seconds and see what happens. If you quickly get a strong metallic tase, your zinc levels are good. If you get a weaker taste like hydrogen peroxide, your levels are low. If you get no taste, your levels are extremely low or depleted. The longer it takes to taste something, the lower your levels are.
With everything that zinc is responsible for and its role in producing the "male" characteristics of our body, it might be the single most vital thing you could do for yourself in trying to build muscle. No amount of supplements, protein, NO boosters, BCAA's or any other product will make up for a lack of zinc and what proper levels could do for you.
In retrospect, I can tell you that for myself, simply taking in the zinc did not have the effect I needed it to until I started pulling the heavy metals out of my body AND switched to a modified paleo diet(includes potatoes for my carb source) which virtually eliminated phytic acid from my diet. Once I did these 2 things, my levels quickly increased going from low to very low(tasted hydrogen peroxide after about 20 seconds the first time) to good within 3 weeks(tasted stong mettalic taste within 5 or 6 seconds) and it was a little strange because I could almost feel my body starting to respond to it, which isn't surprising since genes that had laid dormant for many years were suddenly getting turned on like someone flipped the power switch...
. Anyway I incorporated these into my diet lately and my lifts have been increasing and my energy levels are up as well. Try it for yourself.
