Zinc and magnesium may help people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels. An analysis of 25 studies in over 1, people with diabetes showed that taking a zinc supplement reduced fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c HbA1c , and post-meal blood sugar levels 6.
In fact, it found that supplementing with zinc lowered HbA1c — a marker for long-term blood sugar levels — to an extent similar to that of metformin, a popular diabetes drug 6 , In fact, in an analysis of 18 studies, magnesium was more effective at reducing fasting blood sugar levels than a placebo in people with diabetes. It also significantly reduced blood sugar levels in those at risk of developing diabetes The combination of zinc and magnesium may improve your sleep quality.
Research suggests that magnesium helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for helping your body feel calm and relaxed 28 , Meanwhile, supplementing with zinc has been linked to improved sleep quality in both human and animal studies 30 , 31 , An 8-week study in 43 older adults with insomnia showed that taking a combination of zinc, magnesium, and melatonin — a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles — daily helped people fall asleep faster and improved sleep quality, compared to a placebo Magnesium and vitamin B6 , both of which are found in ZMA, may help elevate your mood.
Another week study in 23 older adults showed that taking mg of magnesium daily reduced depression symptoms as effectively as an antidepressant drug 7. Several studies have linked low blood levels and intakes of vitamin B6 to depression.
The vitamins and minerals in ZMA may play a role in weight loss. In a 1-month study in 60 obese people, those taking 30 mg of zinc daily had higher zinc levels and lost significantly more body weight than those taking a placebo The researchers believed that zinc aided weight loss by suppressing appetite Other studies have found that obese people tend to have lower zinc levels Meanwhile, magnesium and vitamin B6 have been shown to reduce bloating and water retention in women with premenstrual syndrome PMS 40 , While ensuring you have enough magnesium , zinc, and vitamin B6 in your diet is important for your overall health, supplementing with these nutrients is not an effective solution for weight loss.
A better strategy for long-term weight loss success is to create a calorie deficit, exercise regularly, and eat plenty of whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Although its individual components are necessary for overall health, there is no evidence that ZMA can help you lose weight. ZMA can be purchased online and in health food and supplement stores. However, most supplement labels advise women to take two capsules or two scoops of powder.
These enzymes are critical for numerous biochemical reactions. Zinc has been found to be critical for protein synthesis, the molecular mechanism that leads to muscle recovery and growth.
Numerous research studies have suggested that zinc and magnesium help enhance muscle size, muscle strength, and fat loss, not to mention overall health and well-being.
Magnesium is also an essential mineral involved in numerous reactions in the body. It's important for healthy function of the cardiovascular system, metabolic rate, and of course bone health. In fact, numerous research studies have suggested that these two minerals help enhance muscle size, muscle strength, and fat loss, not to mention overall health and well-being. Research suggests that ZMA has significant anabolic benefits.
They reported that the athletes taking the ZMA supplement experienced more than a percent increase in testosterone levels, and about a 5-percent increase in levels of the insulin-like growth factor 1 IGF In addition to the improvements in their anabolic hormone levels, the ZMA-supplemented athletes made significantly greater gains in strength and power, and achieved better sleep quality , than a placebo group.
Better sleep quality also helps to aid muscle recovery from tough workouts. These benefits occurred in the ZMA group despite the fact that the analyses of their diets found that the athletes were all consuming well over the recommended intake for zinc.
In addition to the study performed by the Western Washington University researcher, several other studies have also found that zinc and magnesium offer potent anabolic properties.
A study from Selcuk University Konya, Turkey reported that four weeks of zinc supplementation in men increased testosterone levels at rest and after exercise. Researchers from the USDA reported that zinc depletion decreased muscle endurance in subjects. This means that maintaining optimal zinc levels is critical for your ability to complete a number of reps with a given weight.
The same Western Washington University research team that did the ZMA research also discovered in an earlier study that when subjects supplemented with magnesium while following a 7-week leg training program, their leg strength increased by percent more than those taking a placebo. Both zinc and magnesium are also suggested to blunt cortisol, a catabolic hormone. German researchers found that triathletes taking a magnesium supplement for four weeks maintained healthy cortisol levels at rest and after a triathlon, as compared to athletes taking a placebo.
And Brazilian researchers also reported that subjects supplementing with zinc maintained healthy cortisol balance. ZMA may also boost growth hormone GH levels, albeit indirectly. But what exactly is this supplement, and what does it do? More importantly, does it work? Here is why I think this is one supplement everyone should try. ZMA is a synergistic blend of two minerals, zinc and magnesium , and a vitamin, Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine.
It has also been shown that increased exercise can lead to losses of vitamins and minerals. Zinc is particularly important from a bodybuilding standpoint due to its role in testosterone production.
The old story about oysters being an aphrodisiac is probably related to the fact that they are high in zinc. Low levels of zinc and magnesium have a strong adverse effect on muscle growth. The body cannot make B6, so it must be obtained from the diet. Without B6 the immune system cannot fight infection from bacteria or virus or ease inflammation response. Vitamin B6 further supports healthy function of the nervous system, the breakdown of protein, fats and carbohydrates to be used by the body, and the creation of red blood cells.
Reported benefits of ZMA supplements include: enhanced athletic performance, muscle building, improved endurance, improved immunity, reduced inflammation, a key cause of chronic diseases such as CHD and cancer, blood sugar control, wound healing, mood, sleep quality and improved recovery after exercise. Manufacturers also claim supplementing with zinc and magnesium may boost testosterone production, in turn bumping muscle mass and insulin-like growth factor IGF-1 , which has growth-promoting effects on skeletal muscle.
Perhaps the most attractive claim made by supplement brands is the proposed benefits of ZMA tablets in enhancing athletic performance and the link between ZMA and bodybuilding.
However, the strongest research to support this claim only proves that athletic performance can be positively affected through the use of ZMA supplementations when deficiencies in zinc and magnesium are present in athletes. It is common for athletes to follow diets that are low in zinc and magnesium, as they sometimes opt for unbalanced diets that are overly reliant on single food groups.
For example, it is popular for endurance athletes to consume a very high carbohydrate, low protein, and low fat diet, which has been directly linked to zinc deficiency. Not only this, but they also tend to lose these minerals through their sweat and urine both during and after exercise at a rate beyond what can be replenished.
Zinc deficiency can lead to extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, impaired immune function, hair loss, diarrhoea, impotence, plus eye and skin lesions and so for this reason, ZMA supplements can prove a brilliant addition to athletes' daily diets and in turn benefit athletic performance. Magnesium, which is usually offered in a mg dosage in ZMA capsules, affects muscle function, including: energy production, oxygen uptake, and electrolyte balance.
Small magnesium deficiencies can negatively impact exercise performance, as well as prevent the body from healing. Therefore, to enhance recovery and rehabilitation and in turn aid athletic performance, increasing magnesium levels may help, supporting ZMA as a sports recovery supplement. However, it is worth noting that whilst supplementation is effective for those suffering from a deficiency, researchers have concluded that magnesium supplementation in athletes with adequate magnesium levels has no benefit in enhancing performance, suggesting that magnesium's effect here is in resolving a problem back to baseline as opposed to enhancing performance to a new optimal.
Another supplement that is popular for its athetic enhancing benefits is L-Glutamine - read all about it here. With high levels of zinc and magnesium, ZMA tablets may enhance athletic performance in those who are deficient in either one of the minerals. However, at present there is little research to suggest that supplementing with additional zinc or magnesium in those who are already at baseline levels will positively impact exercise performance. Many of the most common Internet searches for this matter revolve around the ZMA benefits for sleep and weight loss, and whether they are truly effective.
In a double-blind clinical trial, 60 diagnosed obese participants, aged , were randomly divided into two intervention groups: those who would recieve 30mg of zinc daily, or those who would receive a placebo. To measure the results, researchers took the body mass index BMI , weight and waist circumference of each individual both prior to the investigation, and again one month later.
The statistics showed that those treated with 30mg of zinc lost significantly more body weight, therefore leading the researchers to conclude that zinc can be suggested as a suitable supplementation therapy for obese people. An uncommon supplement that offers solidified evidence for its weight loss properties is milk thistle. Not familiar with it? Read more on the benefits of milk thistle here. Over time, there have been ample studies looking at the connections between ZMA and sleep.
As mentioned earlier, the primary elements of ZMAs are zinc and magnesium, both of which have been linked to having a level of effectiveness in improving sleep quality. For example, magnesium can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to relaxation and improving symptoms of restlessness, irritability, lack of concentration, sleep disorders and depression. In a controlled experiment, researchers wanted to analyse the effect zinc supplementation had on the sleep quality, if any.
They used a sample of 54 intensive care unit nurses and randomly assigned mg zinc sulfate capsules every 72 hours for 1 month to one half of the group, and then a placebo to the other half. The results found that both the sleep quality and sleep duration of the nurses given the zinc dosage improved from baseline, supporting the theory that ZMA for sleep is effective.
While no studies have found that ZMA supplementation can directly aid weight loss, the proven benefits of ZMA for sleep may, in turn, aid weight loss indirectly.
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