You’ve probably heard about some of the endless male enhancements that are advertised as “100% legitimate, free do-it-yourself” techniques or supplements. Most of them turn out not to be free, and even less of them turn out to be legitimate.
What if we told you that the most powerful male enhancement supplements are found in food and can simply be added to your diet by switching what you buy at the grocery store?
Think about it. A supplement is an extracted form of a nutrient, mineral, or some compound that benefits the body in one way or another. Supplements just make these components more bioavailable (easy for your body to absorb).
Most of them can be found in nature, and a huge number can be obtained by simply eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and protein sources. One of the minerals that’s most important for male sexual health is zinc.
Why is zinc important for male health?
A lot of vitamin supplements that can boost male or female sexual health do so by clearing up a deficiency, and the benefits that are seen with zinc are no different. Some supplements do have their own acute benefits when taken alone, but the most prominent “benefits” are often just the elimination of negative side effects caused by deficiency.
For example, curing a case of erectile dysfunction caused by a sulfur deficiency isn’t really enhancing your sexual function – it’s just bringing it back to the healthy level where it should be.
There are two main reasons that zinc has such a significant impact on men’s sexual health.
- It’s one of the most prominent nutrients found in the male prostate, where it contributes to the function and form of the prostate.
- Zinc has a noticeable effect on testosterone levels, which, as most of us are well aware, has a huge impact on sexual function.
Zinc is a hugely significant mineral for the human body. It’s present in every cell in the human body, but it’s found in a particularly dense concentration in the prostate. Throughout the body, zinc helps to regulate immune function and many other systems, helps to synthesize DNA and heal wounds, and helps to stimulate the production or reduction of over a hundred different enzymes.
Also Read: What is normal erectile behavior?
Zinc’s effects on male sexual performance are, as we suggested, caused by correcting a deficiency of the mineral. Zinc deficiencies can strike quite quickly and most people are unaware of them. We must consume zinc every day to maintain a healthy level. Zinc is not stored well in the body and since we only need minuscule amounts – just over 10 mg daily – it’s pretty easy for it to get cleared out.
Keep in mind that if you generally eat a varied diet, you probably won’t have a zinc deficiency. Since the daily required dose is so small, a lot of people get plenty in their daily diets.
A lack of zinc can cause a wide number of unpleasant side effects, the most notable for us being hypogonadism (a condition in which the gonads are underactive and produce lower amounts of sexual hormones than one needs) and erectile dysfunction.
It’s also been suggested that zinc deficiency can lead to prostate infections or prostatitis.
It’s important to notice that while clearing up a zinc deficiency may help to eliminate some problems, consuming too much zinc could accelerate the development of the same problems you’re trying to fix. For example, while many people take zinc to help ward off prostate cancer, those taking several times the daily dose (which is still only a few hundred mg) may put themselves at increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
One of the ways that zinc operates is by affecting the body’s ability to produce testosterone. In fact, zinc supplementation is often recommended for men who are suffering from andropause (also known as male menopause, a condition in middle age in which a man’s production of testosterone begins to decline) because of its noted effects on boosting testosterone.
The positive link has most definitely been proven, but researchers still aren’t sure exactly how zinc works the way it does on testosterone.
How to use zinc for sexual health
It’s always a better idea to get your vitamins and minerals directly from food instead of a supplement. Most foods contain mixtures of nutrients, many of which are often synergetic when consumed together. For example, lots of plants have combinations of nutrients which help the absorption rates of different nutrients within the plant, or some have nutrients that block the effects of certain anti-nutrients.
For those who don’t want to supplement, oysters are generally considered the densest dietary source of zinc. This is partly why they’re also considered such potent aphrodisiacs – because the zinc contained in oysters helps boost testosterone and get rid of erectile dysfunction.
Zinc also has a couple of benefits that aren’t explicitly beneficial for your sexual performance, but which will probably help it out anyway.
- Zinc helps keep your heart healthy. By improving blood flow and acting as an anti-inflammatory, zinc not only helps fight against cardiovascular disease but also helps to promote higher energy levels. Improved circulation means improved transportation of oxygen, which will provide muscles with more energy.
- Zinc further helps provide a boost to energy by improving the conversion of food into usable energy. This process is necessary for our bodies to make use of the nutrients, calories, and carbohydrates we consume. If you lack the proper nutrients for energy metabolization, you’ll feel lethargic and mentally slow.
These two benefits affect your sexual performance immensely, particularly if you struggle with having low energy levels.
Also Read: The importance of healthy sperm
Once your erectile dysfunction is healed, having enough energy to dedicate to having sex will be a godsend!
In conclusion
Zinc is a very under-valued mineral in regards to male health. It’s one of the most crucial dietary components for a healthy sex drive, and a deficiency in zinc can cause some unfortunate sexual side effects. That’s why we thought it was important enough to include zinc in the ingredient list for Male Extra.
If you suffer from erectile dysfunction or a low libido, the cause might be a zinc deficiency. While it’s very easy to get enough zinc in your daily diet, it’s also very easy to be depleted of zinc. Make sure you’re eating food that provides you with this nutrient, otherwise you won’t be able to ward off the sexual detriments of a deficiency!
