How Does Zinc Affect the Body?

Video Transcript

"You wake up in the morning and you are feeling pretty groggy. You head for that cup of coffee, that caffeine that you need to keep you awake and start your day. But did you know that caffeine consumption can actually interfere with a very important mineral in your body. I'm Janice Creneti and this is, what is zinc. And how does it effect you? Well zinc is something called a mineral. A mineral is a tiny chemical, it exists in your body in very small amounts. And it has a specific job to do. Zinc is one of these very important minerals because it primarily helps you with your immune system. Let's take a look at some typical blood in your body. One of the primary components of your blood is white blood cells. Now your white blood cells are responsible for helping you fight off infection. They are an important part of your immune system. So when you get exposed to that pink eye from your sister, or a cough or a cold from somebody that is in your office, it's the job of your white blood cells to go to work and help your body healthy again. Well without zinc, your immune system can't function properly. Zinc is just one of the many minerals in your body that stimulates over a hundred different enzymes that help your body break down food and conduct different body processes. So what do you do if you don't have enough zinc in your body? Well there's certain foods that you can eat. You can eat cheese, you can eat wheat products, you can eat things like lamb. They are all high in zinc. Get that zinc up, help that immune system function properly and keep that cold at bay. I'm Janice Creneti and this is what is zinc and how does it effect your body."