hi jim i don't think it would do you any harm to try three per day and back off to two if you end up on the toilet too much.
i hear it's best to take mg between meals, or at bedtime. taking mg pills one at a time throughout the day is also recommended.
i hear you about the tons of pills thing. when i was at my sickest i was up close to 30 per day. now i'm being a terrible slacker, by comparison. what is your daily regimen and amounts lately? do you take any pharmaceuticals? or just neutraceuticals?
so, zinc importance, here goes: (i haven't forgotten magnesium but this post will be long enough ;) )
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/cc/zinc.html
Zinc is an essential mineral that is found in almost every cell. It stimulates the activity of approximately 100 enzymes, which are substances that promote biochemical reactions in your body (1,2). Zinc supports a healthy immune system (3,4), is needed for wound healing (5)...
http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseact ... pageid=653
Zinc is an essential trace element. It is one of the most important of the trace elements needed by the body. Of the many hundreds of protein enzymes present in the body, which allow its chemistry to work, zinc is required by over two hundred of them. It can thus be seen how a deficiency of zinc can affect so many different functions.
Zinc is also important in the production of prostaglandins (PGs). PGs are vital to numerous body functions including, for example: the function of the immune system; the expression and control of inflammation; skin and wound healing; function of the heart and cardiovascular system; absorption of various minerals; body temperature control
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/cc/zinc.html
Zinc deficiency most often occurs when zinc intake is inadequate or poorly absorbed, when there are increased losses of zinc from the body... Medical doctors who suspect a zinc deficiency will consider risk factors such as inadequate caloric intake, alcoholism, digestive diseases... The immune system is adversely affected by even moderate degrees of zinc deficiency. Severe zinc deficiency depresses immune function (27)
http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/He ... estyle.htm
MS patients are reported to have low levels of zinc which is a vital nutrient. It is also interesting that MS is more common in inland regions than in coastal areas where soils tend to be richer in zinc and fresh seafoods are eaten.
http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseact ... pageid=653
It has been observed that those suffering with any of the auto-immune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis); atopic problems (allergy, eczema, asthma or migraine); or many of the inflammatory diseases (such as osteo-arthritis, ME or irritable bowel syndrome), have a consistent, and often severe, zinc deficiency, which is greatly benefited by a programme of zinc replacement therapy.
http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseact ... pageid=653
Zinc supplements in MS will increase both energy and vitality, increase muscle strength, improve sleep and prevent fatigue. Perhaps in company with vanadium, another common mineral deficiency in MS, which contributes to the occurrence of depression, it will also prevent this distressing symptom.
Zinc only made it onto my personal radar in the last few months. I had never had it tested previously over the 2+ years since my dx. at my lab, the normal range is shown as 11.5-18.5. My level was 8.6 on Nov 30 2007, so I'm definitely working on that now. I have 50mg pills which I take twice a day. i have a second lab requisition for another test to make sure i don't get too much.
finally, some abstract excerpts of interest:
Divergent effects of zinc depletion in brain vs non-brain endothelial cells
Dietary zinc deficiency is common in developing as well as developed countries. Our results suggest the presence of specific mechanisms to counteract zinc deficiency at the BBB, likely involving HBMEC junctional complexes. Understanding the mechanisms involved in this unique response might provide means to modulate the BBB dysfunction associated with neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Impact of zinc supplementation on intestinal permeability
One hundred eleven children with AD (acute diarrhoea) and 190 with PD (persistent diarrhoea) aged between 3 and 24 months received, randomly and blind to the investigators, either an elemental zinc supplement of 5 mg/kg body wt/day or placebo in multivitamin syrup for 2 weeks while intestinal permeability and, biochemical and anthropometric markers were serially monitored. The permeability test was administered as an oral dose of 5 g lactulose/l g mannitol in a 20-ml solution followed by a 5-h urine collection... Two-week zinc supplementation significantly reduced lactulose excretion in both AD and PD, whereas the change in mannitol excretion and L/M was similar between study groups in both studies. Changes in lactulose excretion were significantly influenced by zinc supplementation in children with E. coli, Shigella sp., and Campylobacter jejuni stool isolates.
