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Zinc Update: Zinc role in oxidative stress, immunity and chronic inflammation

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eMediNexus    17 November 2020

 

Zinc is essential for several cellular functions including immunity. Investigators have used zinc supplementation in an effort to affect the consequence of several diseases. The objective of these efforts at either supporting immunity through zinc administration or improving the zinc dependent immune functions in zinc deficient individuals.

In this review article, latest findings of zinc supplementation in several diseases are demonstrated. Favorable therapeutic response of zinc supplementation has been witnessed in the children who have diarrhea, common cold, chronic hepatitis C, pneumonia, leprosy, shigellosis, tuberculosis, acute lower respiratory tract infection and leishmaniasis. Zinc supplementation was effective in reducing the occurrences of infections in the elderly people, in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and reducing the frequencies of respiratory tract infections in children also. Supplementation of zinc has also prevented blindness in almost 25% of the elderly people with AMD of dry type. Supplementation of zinc was also effective in reducing the oxidative stress and production of inflammatory cytokines for example TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in elderly people and SCD patients. Zinc plays a role of an intracellular signal molecule for immune cells.

In conclusion, zinc supplementation can successfully be used as a therapeutic and preventive agent for several conditions.

Source: Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009; 12(6):646-652. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e3283312956

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