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You might not be receiving enough zinc if your concentration and memory are deteriorating. According to shocking new findings, even little zinc deficiencies can somewhat affect memory and other aspects of brain function. Dr. Harold Sandstead, a zinc specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, adds, “It’s surprising.”

He and colleagues discovered that men and women in good health who were only slightly zinc deficient performed badly on tests of focus and memory. Their mental abilities enhanced once their zinc was restocked. For instance, when women consumed enough zinc, their memory of words and visual designs increased by 12% and 17%, respectively.

In another study, a seven-month live-in study conducted at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s labs in Grand Forks, North Dakota, found that males on a very low intake of 1 to 4 milligrams of zinc made more mistakes and responded more slowly to 10 out of 15 cerebral and sensory-motor assessments. Clearly, short-term memory and attention were the mental processes most negatively impacted by zinc deficiencies.

This does not imply that taking a lot of zinc supplements is necessary to keep your memory functioning properly.

Seafood, including fish and oysters, as well as legumes, cereals, whole grains, and dark-meat turkey, can help improve memory. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 15 milligrams of zinc is exceeded by 20 milligrams with just one ounce of raw oysters. According to data from the Agriculture Department, three ounces of smoked oysters contain 103 milligrams of zinc.