Mineral Matters: How Zinc Impacts Seizure Control
Dietary zinc refers to the zinc you obtain from the foods and beverages you consume. Zinc is an essential trace mineral, meaning your body needs it in small amounts for critical functions, but it cannot produce it on its own. You must get it from your diet or supplements.
🧠Key Functions of Zinc:
Supports immune system function
Aids wound healing and tissue repair
Helps cell growth and division
Plays a role in DNA and protein synthesis
Contributes to brain function and neurotransmitter regulation, which is relevant for neurological conditions like epilepsy
🦪Food Sources:
*Zinc (mg per 100g)
Oysters - 16–74 mg (varies by type)
Pumpkin seeds - 7.8 mg
Crab - 6.5–7.6 mg
Beef - 4.8–6.3 mg
Lamb - 4.0–6.0 mg
Cashews - 5.6 mg
Oats (raw) - 3.1 mg
Cheddar cheese - 3.1 mg
Chickpeas (cooked) - 1.5 mg
💊Zinc Supplementation:
The two most common forms of zinc supplements are:
Zinc Picolinate – highly absorbable and commonly used in dietary supplements.
Zinc Sulfate – widely available, inexpensive, and suitable for general supplementation.
When choosing a zinc supplement, look for one that also contains copper, as zinc can reduce copper absorption, which is essential for brain health.
Zinc is available in tablets, capsules, and liquids. Liquid forms are generally absorbed most efficiently.
For personalised recommendations, feel free to reach out. However, it’s best to prioritise zinc intake through food before considering supplements.
Safety Notes ⚠️
If you choose to supplement with zinc, start with a low dose and gradually increase to the recommended amount as advised by your nutritional therapist.
Taking zinc on an empty stomach may cause nausea or vomiting, so it is best to take it after dinner.
Take zinc at the same time every day to maintain steady levels in your body.
When sourcing zinc-rich foods, choose organic meats and sustainably harvested oysters to minimise exposure to artificial hormones and antibiotics commonly found in non-organic options.
Zinc is safe for children to supplement with. But depending on age, doses vary. It’s best to encourage zinc-rich foods before supplements.
📚Studies:
In this study, a zinc-deficient diet made seizures more likely, while extra zinc reduced them. A normal diet had little effect. Higher zinc intake increased zinc levels in the hippocampus, while deficiency lowered them. This suggests that zinc, especially in the hippocampus, may help prevent seizures and play a key role in epilepsy.
Investigating the Role of Zinc in a Rat Model of Epilepsy - 2011
The study found that a high dose of zinc made seizures worse. But a moderate dose of zinc or valproic acid reduced seizure severity and delayed seizure onset. Most measures of brain health improved with these treatments, though zinc levels in the hippocampus only rose when zinc was given.
Deficiency of selenium and zinc as a causative factor for idiopathic intractable epilepsy - 2013
Imbalances in certain trace elements can affect how brain cells work. Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) help protect cells from damage by supporting superoxide dismutase (SOD), an important antioxidant enzyme. Zinc also helps control the brain by affecting glutamate and GABA receptors. However, too much zinc inside cells can be harmful. It disrupts calcium balance in mitochondria, which reduces energy production and increases harmful reactive oxygen species, leading to brain cell damage.
Serum zinc and copper levels in a sample of Egyptian epileptic children - 2020
Patients with epilepsy had lower zinc levels in their blood than healthy people.
Patients who had febrile seizures in the past had even lower zinc levels than those who didn’t.
Patients taking carbamazepine also had lower zinc levels compared to those not taking it.
Longer duration of epilepsy was linked to lower copper levels in the blood.