Although other vitamins and nutrients get more attention in the media, experts now believe as many as two billion people around the world have diets deficient in Zinc. Studies at Oregon State University and elsewhere are raising concerns about the health implications this means for infectious disease, immune function, DNA damage and cancer.
One new study has found DNA damage in humans is caused by only minor zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency is quite common in the developing world. Even in the United States, about 12 percent of the population is probably at risk for Zinc deficiency, and perhaps as many as 40 percent of the elderly, due to inadequate dietary intake and less absorption of this essential nutrient, experts say. Many or most people have never been tested for Zinc status.
“Zinc deficiencies have been somewhat under the radar because we just don’t know that much about mechanisms that control its absorption, role, or even how to test for it in people with any accuracy,” explained an associate professor with the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU, and international expert on the role of dietary zinc.
Studies have shown that Zinc is essential to protecting against oxidative stress and helping DNA repair, meaning that in the face of Zinc deficiency, the body’s ability to repair genetic damage may be decreasing even as the amount of damage is increasing.
Two studies recently published, in the Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found significant levels of DNA damage both with laboratory animals and in apparently healthy men who have low Zinc intake. Zinc depletion caused strands of their DNA to break, and increasing the intake of Zinc reversed the damage back to normal levels.
“In one clinical study with men, we were able to see increases in DNA damage from zinc deficiency even before existing tests, like decreased plasma zinc levels, could spot the zinc deficiency. An
inadequate level of Zinc intake clearly has consequences for cellular health.”
Many Zinc studies have focused on prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men, because the prostate gland has one of the highest concentrations of Zinc in the body, for reasons that are not clearly known.
When prostate glands become cancerous, their level of Zinc drops precipitously, and some studies have suggested that increasing Zinc in the prostate may at least help prevent prostate cancer and could potentially be a therapeutic strategy. There are concerns about the relationship of Zinc intake to esophageal, breast, and head and neck cancers. And the reduced Zinc status that occurs with ageing may also contribute to a higher incidence of infection and autoimmune diseases, researchers said in one study in the Journal of Nutrition.
Zinc is naturally found associated with proteins in such meats as beef and poultry, and in even higher levels in shellfish such as oysters. It’s available in plants but poorly absorbed from them, raising additional concerns for vegetarians. And inadequate intake is so prevalent in the elderly, the researcher said, that they should usually consider taking a Zinc supplement and multivitamin to ensure adequate levels.
Zinc is an essential micronutrient for numerous cellular processes. “The consequences of Zinc deficiency in adults have not yet been sufficiently studied despite the recognition of symptoms of Zinc deficiency for decades,” researchers wrote in one recent report. “A considerable body of evidence suggests that Zinc deficiency may increase the risk of some chronic diseases, including cancer. This link may be attributed to the role of Zinc in antioxidant defence and DNA damage repair.”
This article is for informational and educational purposes only; It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor or healthcare professional.
Sob Health 