Zinc is one of the minerals that you don’t hear much about. But, it’s vitally important to your health. In fact, zinc can actually make the common cold last less time and can reduce the severity of the symptoms. That means you won’t feel as bad while you have a cold and you’ll get better faster.

Here are some interesting facts about zinc:

• In scientific research studies, zinc supplements reduced the
  duration of cold symptoms by an average of 3 days and also reduced the severity of symptoms – cough, headache, congestion, runny nose, sore throat and sneezing.
• Zinc is vital for the normal growth and development of
  reproductive organs and normal prostate function.
• Zinc aids the body in wound healing and has been proven
  to speed the healing of ulcers.
• Zinc is a component of insulin and 25 enzymes related to digestion. This aids the body in the normal metabolism of carbohydrates.
• Zinc is involved with DNA and RNA, nucleic acids which encode our genetic information.
• Zinc is essential for healthy skin, bones, and hair.
• Zinc aids the body in the proper transfer of carbon dioxide (which is a waste product) in red blood cells.
• Zinc is involved in appetite and taste.
• Because the best food sources of zinc are meat and seafood,
  vegetarian or low-meat diets may provide less than the
  12.5 mg of zinc required daily for optimal health.

Food sources of zinc: red meat, chicken, oysters, beans, nuts, whole grains (including wheat germ and wheat bran), herring and pumpkin seeds.