New Study Shows How Zinc Improves Your Memory

We’ve long known that the mineral zinc is important for cognitive function, and that supplemental zinc has been shown to improve memory and recall in older people. We also know there may be a link between zinc and Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, after 50 years of research, a new study finally shows exactly how zinc supports brain function. In the current issue of Neuron, researchers from the University of Toronto Scarborough, MIT, and Duke University reported a new finding that zinc plays a critical role in how neurons in the brain communicate with one another—affecting our memory and how we learn.

The researchers created a special chemical called ZX1 that binds to zinc after it’s released, but before it completes the synapse—which is how neurons in one area of your brain communicate with neurons in other areas. Neurons deprived of zinc communicate far less effectively, and this impairs memory and ability to learn.

But neurons aren’t the only cells that need zinc. Adequate zinc levels are essential for optimal immune function, wound healing, vision, male sexual function, and skin health.

How much zinc should you take? I recommend 30 mg of zinc along with 2 mg of copper daily. (Zinc interferes with your body’s ability to absorb copper, and you need copper for your brain, muscles, nerves, and your immune system.)

Now it’s your turn: Are you taking zinc and copper?

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