Where to Find Zinc and Sulfur

Zinc and Sulfur Basics

Zinc is a vital mineral for your body—it helps with a bunch of enzyme functions that keep everything running smoothly. Since your body can’t store zinc, you need to get enough every day. Lots of people don’t get enough, which can lead to a deficiency. Sulfur, on the other hand, is a chemical element found in living tissues and is actually the third most abundant mineral in your body after calcium and phosphorus.

Where to Get Zinc

Eating a balanced diet with zinc-rich foods helps meet your daily needs. Here are some top zinc sources:

• Red meats like beef and lamb
• Shellfish such as oysters, crab, and shrimp
• Legumes including chickpeas, lentils, and beans
• Seeds like pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and hemp seeds
• Nuts such as cashews, pine nuts, almonds, and peanuts
• Dairy products like milk and cheese
• Whole grains like quinoa, rice, wheat, and oats
• Some veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, and green beans
• Dark chocolate
• Eggs

Where to Get Sulfur

Sulfur naturally occurs in proteins and some plants. It’s part of two amino acids found in animal proteins—methionine and cysteine. Here are some key sulfur sources:

• Protein-rich foods like beef, fish, and poultry
• Cruciferous veggies like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and watercress
• Allium veggies such as garlic, shallots, and onions

Why Zinc Is Important

Adults need about 8 mg of zinc per day for women and 11 mg for men. Getting enough zinc is key for:

• Boosting your immune system: Zinc helps activate T-cells, which regulate your immune response and fight off cancer cells and infections. Low zinc can weaken your immune defenses.
• Improving memory: Zinc helps nerve cells communicate, affecting memory and learning.
• Fighting colds: Zinc supplements can cut cold duration by up to 40% and reduce symptoms if taken within 24 hours of onset.
• Treating diarrhea: Zinc tablets help kids recover faster and lower future diarrhea risk.
• Healing wounds: Zinc is essential for healthy skin and is used in creams for rashes and skin irritation. It can speed up healing by reducing bacteria and inflammation.
• Lowering risk of age-related diseases: Better zinc levels may cut inflammation and reduce risks of chronic diseases.
• Slowing age-related macular degeneration: Zinc protects eye membranes and helps preserve vision.
• Boosting fertility: Zinc deficiency links to lower sperm quality, and supplements can improve sperm count.

Benefits of Sulfur

Sulfur also offers plenty of health perks. Supplements usually come as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). Here’s what sulfur and its supplements can help with:

• Relieving osteoarthritis pain: MSM might help knee osteoarthritis sufferers. Sulfur-rich water baths have shown some promise in easing pain and improving quality of life, though more research is needed.
• Reducing allergy symptoms: MSM supplements may ease respiratory allergy symptoms after about 30 days of use.
• Treating rosacea: Sulfur creams can enhance other treatments for this skin condition.
• Fighting dandruff: Sulfur is in many dandruff shampoos; combining it with salicylic acid might work best.
• Relieving scabies itching: Sulfur gels are effective for scabies, though treatment usually takes 3-6 nights and has a strong smell.