Zinc, ZMA and Testosterone

Scientists have for decades known that a zinc deficiency is associated with decreased testosterone production and other medical conditions.  However, lately zinc has been considered a big disappointment by researchers.  Studies have shown, for example, that it does not generally increase testosterone significantly or protect from colds as originally thought.

But does that mean you should give up on this mineral altogether?  No way!  Some guys, like Casanova, have reported near miraculous powers from supplemental zinc.  Could there by something to it?  Below are five reasons that zinc may in some cases dramatically boost testosterone and substantially improve your sex life:

NOTE:  ZMA is a special formulation of zinc and magnesium.  The Magnesium is a nice side benefit of ZMA and will likely help you sleep better and avoid Metabolic Syndrome and heart disease.

Do you know the foods and drinks that increase erection-boosting Nitric Oxide? Check out the Peak Erectile Strength Diet where I show you how to dramatically and naturally improve your erectile strength.

1.  Testosterone.  Some research has shown that zinc can increase testosterone.  It all started when an absorbable form of Zinc called ZMA (which also contains Magnesium), was created by Victor Conte of Barry Bonds fame.  Mr. Conte backed a study that shows a nice increase (34%) in testotserone in young athletes taking ZMA. [1] 

Sounds good, eh? Unfortunately, subsequent research has cast doubt on Mr. Conte's work and showed no testosterone increase with ZMA. [2]  The problem appears to be that supplementat zinc does not boost Zinc except perhaps in individuals who are zinc-depleted.  Normal, healthy individuals receive little to no benefit as far as testosterone. 

So who might be zinc depleted?  For example, if you happen to be having a lot of sex - you lucky dog! - about 5 mg of Zinc, or a third of your body's RDA, is lost during ejaculation. I also frequently get emails from heavy porn users who have lost their sexual desire and/or erectile strength.  (I am talking about guys spending hours per day watching porn and ejaculating 3+ times/day.)  There are probably a variety of reason for this, but one of them may be low grade zinc depletion.

When does low testosterone cause erectile dysfunction or harden your arteries? 300 ng/dl? 400? Find out what the studies say in Low Testosterone By The Numbers.

Heavy exercise and infection also can depelete zinc and often those on a largely vegetarian diet consume less zinc as well.  So some of you guys could actually be running low on zinc and benefit from supplementation.  Don't forget that Casanova ate several dozen oysters every day for its supposed aphrodisiacal super powers and oysters do have a lot of zinc.  (Please read below for important cautions about ta5.  Sleep.  A combination of zinc, magnesium - yes, this is starting to sound a lot like ZMA - and melatonin has been found in one study to be a potent insomnia cure. See this link on Sleep Aids for more information. 

2.  Estrogen.  Zinc actually inhibits the aromatase enzyme, especially in zinc-depleted individuals, and therefore could decrease estrogen. [5]  (It may also inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT, which could help your prostate and hair!)  At worst it is another tool in our arsenal to optimize and maintain our estrogen at reasonable levels. And, of course, this may be another reason that zinc is a testosterone booster for some men but not others.

Of course, depression is a [6] And, recently, researchers created depression (in animals) by inducing a zinc deficiency.

Of course, depression is a an example, the RDA of zinc for an adult male is 11 mg and most zinc supplements have 2-3 times that, i.e. 20-35 mg or so. This is troublesome, because there is a disease (Wilson's Syndrome) where copper accumulates in vari5.  Sleep.  A combination of zinc, magnesium - yes, this is starting to sound a lot like ZMA - and melatonin has been found in one study to be a potent insomnia cure. See this link on Sleep Aids for more information. 

4. Depression. Zinc is a proven depression fighter. Several studies have shown that zinc levels tend to be lower in certain types of patients with depression and, furthermore, supplemental zinc has even been shown to help in treatment (25 mg along with an SSRI). [6] And, recently, researchers created depression (in animals) by inducing a zinc deficiency.

Of course, depression is a Proven Enemy of Your Sex Life and a contributor often to erectile dysfunction and low testosterone. One of the ways that it does this is possibly through optimizing seratonin levels. [7] What is remarkable is that SSRI's - seratonin-boosting drugs - are notrious for sexual dysfunction but zinc is the opposite.

5. Sleep. A combination of zinc, magnesium - yes, this is starting to sound a lot like ZMA - and melatonin has been found in one study to be a potent insomnia cure. See this link on Sleep Aids for more information.

Zinc - Dosage and Dangers

CAUTION #1: As a final caution, you should be cautious about taking zinc regularly to boost testosterone or immunity, because it can lead to a copper deficiency very quickly. Copper is critical for the health of your heart and your collagen among other things. It doesn't take much zinc to have effect copper metabolism, because the two compete in the interesting for absorption. Researchers have found that it is the zinc to copper ratio that is critical and obviously taking zinc supplementation will affect this ratio significantly.

As an example, the RDA of zinc for an adult male is 11 mg and most zinc supplements have 2-3 times that, i.e. 20-35 mg or so. This is troublesome, because there is a disease (Wilson's Syndrome) where copper accumulates in various tissue. Researchers will actually give supplemental zinc in order to reverse this condition. How much zinc do they give? One study found that only 75 mg daily will quickly start depleting copper. [4] Remember that this 75 mg is intended to yield results in just 10 days.

Now imagine a guy taking 35 mg of copper for testosterone for months or years. He will likely experience low copper levels and this could potentially lead to elevated inflammation and the steadily increasing hypertension associated with copper deficiency. Again, there is no study showing that this is occurring, but I would recommend erring on the side of safety.

CAUTION #2: However, before you go popping zinc like breath mints, you should keep in mind a couple of things. First of all, some researchers think that too much zinc is hard on the brain and neurons, so more is not better. 

CAUTION #3: ZMA has an aspartate molecule attached to it. I have not been able to verify whether or not this ends up in the free form or not. If it does, then it is a standard Excitotoxin. However, much of the protein that we eat contains aspartates, so this may not be an issue. Also, the picolinate form of zinc has been shown in one study to be very absorbable eliminating even the motivation for using ZMA. [3]

REFERENCES:

1) Med and Sci in Sports & Exerc,1999, 31:483

2) European J of Clin Nutr, 2009, 63:65-70

3) Intl J Sports Med,2001,22(7)537-543

4) Am J Med Sci, 1993 Apr, 305(4):199-202, "Treatment of Wilson's disease with zinc XII: dose regimen requirements"

5) J Nutr, 1996 Apr, 126(4):842-8, "Dietary zinc deficiency alters 5 alpha-reduction and aromatization of testosterone and androgen and estrogen receptors in rat liver"

6) Neuropharmacology, 2009, 56:531–540, "Zinc regulates the dopamine transporter in a membrane potential and chloride dependent manner"

7) Pol J Pharmacol, 2003, 55:1143–1147, "EFFECT OF ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY IN UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION: A PRELIMINARY PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY"

8) Journal of Neuroscience Research, 1 April 2005, 80(1):145-149, "Zinc modulation of serotonin uptake in the adult rat corpus callosum"

9) Physiol Behav, 2008 Oct 20, 95(3):365-9, "Zinc deficiency induces depression-like symptoms in adult rats"