ZMA: The most Underrated Health and Fitness Supplement?

Many products and supplements on the market are there for us just to spend our money and see very little benefit in return. Initially, I was sceptical when buying my first ZMA supplement, but after shortly using it, I saw a considerable increase in strength, quality of sleep and vivid dreams (within a week).

ZMA stands for zinc monomethionine aspartate and magnesium aspartate. In short, it is a blend of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6.

So why are these vitamins so important?

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is also an electrolyte which is responsible for more than 300 enzymatic processes at a cellular level. Deficiencies cause abnormalities on a hormonal and skeletal level.

Because only 1% of your Magnesium is in your blood, a blood test is not very useful in meas uring for a magnesium deficiency. Scarily, it is estimated that up to 80% of Americans are deficient in Magnesium.

When we look at zinc, as many as 2 billion people around the world are deficient in this mineral. This is a very concerning statistic as zinc deficiency has been shown to allow infectious disease, implications in immune functioning, DNA damage and cancer.

So what are the benefits of taking ZMA supplement?

ZMA has been clinically proven to increase:

Muscle mass
Strength
Libido
Alleviate problems with mood such as depression
Increase anabolic hormone levels significantly
Support production of free testosterone
Help with recovery time in conjunction with a workout regime

The effect which ZMA has on sleep efficiency is something which most of us can benefit from.

ZMA also helps to replenish the zinc lost in your sweat, allowing you to function at optimal performance.

This supplement really does allow you to take your training to the next level. A study published by Wayne State University School of Medicine shows how zinc supplementation has a positive effect on reducing inflammation and decreasing levels of oxidative stress throughout the body, allowing you to train harder with less risk of getting ill.

Advisory note: I do not recommend taking calcium with your ZMA supplement as the calcium binds to the vitamins hence nullifying the effects. The ZMA can be taken an hour before bed and if you must have a whey shake (which contains calcium), it can be drunk directly before bed, thus allowing an hour window to absorb the majority of the ZMA.

I recommend these Reflex ZMA capsules as it contains the addition of amino acids, chelated Copper and Boron to contribute to normal immune functioning.

Reflex Zinc Matrix 100 Capsules

Prefer a whole food option?