I'm posting this now for iwinzulus to see.

We're totally back into this at the moment. Off the alcohol and caffiene and taking heaps of vitamins and of course... ZINC!

The Natural Way to Better Babies � Preconception health care for prospective parents
Francesca Naish and Janette Roberts
Random House Australia, 2000.

"Zinc is intimately involved in so many aspects of reproductive function. Zinc has antibacterial, anti viral, antifungal, anticancer and antiradiation properties. It is involved in many levels of reproductive function and in the formation of the brain and the immune system. Of the elemental micro-nutrients or trace elements, zinc has the widest range of essential functions and is the most important nutrient for the pregnant woman.

�If a new drug has been found with this broad range of properties it would have been hailed as the discovery of the century.�

However zinc is lost during the refining of grains, uptake from the soils is reduced by non-sustainable (or non-organic) farming methods, it�s excretion is increased by alcohol, sugar refined grains and diuretics (caffeine is a diuretic), smokers have an increased requirement for zinc, and zinc status is seriously disrupted by oral contraceptives, by copper IUDs, by the copper present in many water supplies and also by the use of inorganic iron supplements, which are frequently described for anaemic women, and very commonly prescribed during pregnancy. Calcium (high in dairy produce) also inhibits the absorption of zinc and vegetarians are frequently found to be zinc deficient. Zinc is also utilized by your body as it excretes toxic metals, such as cadmium and lead, and your requirements for zinc are increased in times of growth, and during stress, illness or periods of inflammation and infection.

Many researchers have shown that zinc deficiency is widespread among the general population.

Zinc is necessary for proper fertility in both the male and female. Adequate zinc is needed for viable sperm count, and a high percentage of live, well-formed sperm in semen. Zinc is present in fairly large amounts in semen and excessive ejaculation (intercourse or masturbation), may cause a loss of 2 to 5 mg of zinc a day. Zinc is the most important mineral for male reproductive health, and a deficiency can cause chromosomal aberrations and lowered testosterone levels.

Zinc is one of the nutrients necessary for proper formation of elastin chains in connective tissue. Zinc deficient women develop stretch marks, they have perineums which do not stretch but tear, (or need cutting), and they have nipples which crack readily. There are no exact statistics for the frequency of stretch marks or cracked nipples but you will certainly be aware that they are common; and in many hospitals episiotomies are performed routinely.

Maternal tissue zinc depletion has been found to be associated with foetal growth retardation. One baby in ten is born prematurely or �small for dates�.

Zinc deficiency causes women to have prolonged labours. In zinc deficient women there are gaps in the uterine membrane which compromise its ability to contract.

Adequate zinc status is essential to maintain the correct ratio of copper to zinc in the body. Copper and zinc are called antagonistic minerals. Research has linked high copper levels (which occur when zinc is deficient) to spontaneous abortions and premature births. High copper levels have also been linked to toxaemia, or the high blood pressure of pregnancy, which may affect as many as one woman in ten.

Copper levels normally rise during the third trimester of pregnancy and zinc packs into the placenta. High copper levels are thought to act as a trigger on the central nervous system initiating the phenomena of birth. Many researchers have linked postnatal depression to these high copper levels which fail to return to normal after the birth, because of lack of zinc.

Zinc is also intimately involved in the correct formation and functioning of the immune system.

Zinc is essential for the correct formation and functioning of the brain. Learning and behaviour problems affect increasing numbers of children. Boys are ten times more likely to be affected by ADD or ADHD than girls. It is an interesting fact that boys (because of testicular tissue) require five times more zinc for their development than girls!

Because of it�s involvement in such a wide range of enzyme systems, zinc deficiency has been implicated in many types of congenital defects.

Zinc is also needed for adequate infant growth. It is in fact a critical factor in the development of skeletal muscle and bones both before and after birth.

Zinc deficient babies have also been shown to cry excessively and are frequently inconsolable and jittery.

You might find it interesting to observe how the incidence of many of the conditions which we have listed above has increased dramatically with the widespread use of oral contraceptives, which can cause profound and in some long-term users, irreversible changes in zinc status.

The RDA for mature adults is given as 12 to 15 mg (elemental zinc) but this rises to 20 mg during pregnancy. The demand for zinc during breastfeeding is even greater than during pregnancy.

Zinc supplements are best taken on an empty stomach or last thing at night. This improves absorption since there is no interference from, or competition, with other elements."