Zinc, it is now well understood, is no less essential for good nutrition than other minerals, such as calcium and iron. Signs of zinc deficiency include an impaired sense of taste, dry skin, falling hair, and wounds that are slow to heal. In children, zinc deficiency can stunt growth and interfere with sexual maturation.

Zinc deficiency occurs most commonly in children (who may not get enough dietary zinc to allow for growth) and in the very old (who may not eat enough animal protein, the richest source of zinc). Furthermore, Medical World News (24#3:41) reports, since zinc deficiency dulls the appetite by reducing the sense of taste, zinc deficient persons eat less and become even more short of zinc. The extreme of this condition is the anorexia nervosa patient, and we discuss the important role of zinc for this disorder in the article, “Zinc and Anorexia Nervosa,” in the section Anorexia Nervosa.

Zinc deficiency is also very likely to be found in pregnant women, even among those who are eating well. The reason for this paradox, it seems, is twofold. First, the demands of growth require the pregnant woman to provide the fetus with extra zinc, and secondly, this may be occurring at a time when the mother’s ability to absorb zinc is reduced.

Zinc deficiency is understandably a concern for vegetarians since vegetables contain very little zinc and meat is very rich in it. In addition, soy protein and vegetable fiber tightly bind with zinc, holding it in the intestines and stopping it from being absorbed.

A surgical operation or an acute infection (i.e., a cold or the flu), can suddenly bring on signs of zinc deficiency in persons whose status is already borderline. Chronic diarrhea, chronic infection (i.e., tuberculosis), and sickle cell deficiency also increase our need for zinc.

Iron, according to the British Medical Journal (287:1013), when taken together with zinc, competes with zinc for absorption and significantly reduces the amount of zinc that the body is able to retain. Therefore, it seems, it is not efficient to take iron and zinc together, and it is probably better to take them at different times of day, spaced as far as possible apart. What the optimal spacing of these doses might be yet remains to be worked out. It has also been pointed out that, for similar reasons, iron and calcium also should be taken at different times of day.

Dietary zinc is naturally obtained from meat and other high cost protein foods, and for this reason, zinc deficiency is seen more commonly in times of economic stress.

For any of the above reasons, you may be considering taking a zinc supplement. Before you do, read the next article on zinc overdosage, since that can cause problems too.

As noted in the previous article, there are many factors which could contribute to a zinc deficiency, and concerned people will want to make sure they take enough of this important mineral. However, zinc taken regularly in doses greater than three times the minimum daily requirement, according to the American Family Physician (26#2:167), can easily do more harm than good. Thus, for the average person, one capsule daily of 220 mg of zinc sulfate is more than enough and should not be continued for very long.

Too much zinc produces liver disease, with lethargy, upper abdominal pain and fever, and displaces other metals from the body (producing anemia, etc.). It is important, therefore, to avoid taking extra zinc as a supplement unless one really needs it.

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Symptoms

Swelling, pain, and redness of the eyelid Formation of pus and a “head”

Home care

Bathe a stye with warm water several times a day.

Aspirin or paracetamol help reduce pain.

Apply antibiotic ointment to prevent re-infection.

Cysts only require treatment if they are infected; then treat them like styes.

Precautions

-    Do not confuse styes with cysts or insect bites.

-    Styes do not cause redness of the white of the eye.

-    See a doctor if a stye recurs, or if it is accompanied by any of the following: fever, headache, loss of appetite, or lethargy.

-    Washcloths and towels used by the infected child should be kept separate from those used by other family members.

Styes are boils that occur in the oil or sweat glands in the upper or lower eyelids. Styes are usually caused by staphylococcus organisms, and they can spread from person to person through direct contact. Styes tend to occur in crops, because the bacteria in the pus that forms in the stye spread easily to infect other glands in the eyelids,

Signs and symptoms

Styes develop like boils. The area at the edge of the eyelid becomes increasingly red, painful, tender, and swollen. After two to three days, pus forms, and the stye “points”; that is, a yellow head appears at the edge of the lid near the base of the eyelashes. Styes usually break spontaneously, drain, and heal. Occasionally, a stye will heal without pointing or draining.

Styes differ from insect bites and cysts in that they are painful and tender. They occur near the margins of the eyelids, and they usually come to a head. Insect bites itch, are not painful, and do not come to a head. Cysts are lumps or swellings that show through the under surface of the eyelids as pink or pale yellow spots. They usually are not tender. Sometimes, however, they become infected and, like styes, are red, tender, and painful. Unlike styes, cysts persist for some time and do not come to a head.

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