Research on the Mineral Zinc
The following research abstracts
are presented to reflect the findings of possible benefits from
minerals as a dietary supplement and nutritional supplement.
You will find more on the ionic
zinc page.
GENERAL ZINC RESEARCH
Beach, R. S., Gershwin, M. E.,
& Hurley, L. S. (1983) Am J of Clin Nut, 38, 579-590.
Recent work has shown that offspring
of outbred mice deprived of adequate dietary zinc
during the latter two thirds of gestation exhibited a defective
plaque-forming cell response to immunization with heterologous
erythrocytes, as well as impaired ontogenesis of serum Igm.
Moreover, such aberrant immunological measurements continued
to be observed although to a lesser degree, in F2 and F3 progeny.
We now demonstrate that offspring of mice moderately deprived
of zinc (5 ppm zinc
diet) between days 7 and 20 of gestation also show an aberrant
pattern of development of serum levels of IgG2a and IgA, despite
complete nutritional rehabilitation beginning at birth. Only
by 6 months of age were concentrations of these serum immunoglobulins
similar to those in offspring of control dams. In contrast,
levels of IgG1 and IgG2b were within normal ranges by 6 wk of
age. Cross-fostering of zinc deprived
offspring to dams adequately nourished during pregnancy did
little to ameliorate their aberrant pattern of serum immunoglobulin
development. Defective maturation of serum IgG2a and IgA did
not persist in F2 and F3 progeny. Nonetheless such 2nd and 3rd
generation offspring continued to have higher than normal perinatal
mortality. The alterations of immune ontogenesis in these mice
could not be attributed to the persistence of abnormal plasma
zinc levels, as these were with
normal ranges. It would appear that zinc
deficiency during gestation may alter the basic mechanism of
development of immunological competence.
Zinc/ Immunity/ Ontogeny/ Serum Immunoglobulin.
Anon. (1983) Int Clin Nut
Rev, 3(1), 45.
Molybdenum deficiency may be
the single greatest factor in the causation of oesophageal cancer
in Chinese men. Oesphageal cancer
specimens taken from men living in high risk areas have shown
a significant reduction in molybdenum levels compared to normal
oesophageal specimens, and appears to be due to the low molybdenum
(and zinc,) content of cereal grains
and drinking water found in high risk areas.
The anti-neoplastic properties of molybdenum include inhibition
of the growth of Ehrlich ascites tumours in mice and inhibition
of nitrosamine induced stomach cancer of mice. Levels of nitrosamines
and their precursors were found to be high in staple foods collected
from high risk areas of China. Molybdenum is essential to a
number of oxidation-reduction enzymes of bacteria and algae
which convert the nitrogen components in the soil to ammonia
and when plants are high in molybdenum
they contain less nitrates and nitrites.
Petering, H. G., Murphy, L.,
Stemmer, K. L., Finelli, V. N., & Menden, E. E. (1986) Biological
Trace Element Research, 9, 251+.
Weanling male rats were fed a
copper deficient diet devoid of cholesterol. The effects of
varying source of carbohydrate and supplements of copper and
zinc on cardiovascular pathology
and some biochemical and physiological parameters were investigated.
It was found that cardiomyopathy developed in copper deficient
groups. Sucrose, in contrast to starch or starch:lactose (1:1),
caused significant exacerbation of this situation. Increasing
dietary Cu to 8 ppm prevented or minimized the development of
cardiomyopathy. Angiopathy occurred only when dietary zinc
was at the lower level (20 ppm). Dietary copper supplements
to 8.0 ppm did not alter this situation, but 120 ppm Zn in the
drinking water did reduce the angiopathy almost to the control
level, except in the groups in which sucrose was fed. Serum
cholesterol was only elevated significantly over the control
value when dietary copper was deficient and sucrose was the
carbohydrate source. The data point to independent action of
dietary copper or zinc
on the myocardium or vessels, respectively, with sucrose interacting
to make copper and zinc supplements
less active than when starch or starch/lactose was fed.
Cardiomyopathy/ angiopathy/ essential metals/ dietary carbohydrate/
lipid metabolism/ copper deficiency/ cardiovascular.
Diabetes Care (USA), 1996, 19/8 (873-875)
OBJECTIVE - Zinc deficiency ha shown to increase
the risk for diabetes in diabetes-prone experimental animals.
Low concentrations of zinc have also been shown in serum of
recent onset cases with IDDM. The present study examines the
hypothesis that exposure to a low concentration of zinc in drinking
water could increase the risk for future onset of IDDM. RESEARCH
DESIGN AND METHODS - Using the Swedish childhood diabetes registry
and data on residence 3 years before the onset of disease, a
case-control study was designed comparing cases and control
subjects with estimates of groundwater contents of zinc obtained
in biogeochemical samples from areas of residence. RESULTS -
A high groundwater concentration of zinc was associated with
a significant decrease in risk (odds ration (OR) = 0.8; 95%
CI = 0.7-0.9). The same OR was obtained when the model included
information of other metals that might act as possible confounders
(chromium, vanadium, cobalt selenium, cadmium, lead, and mercury).
In small rural areas, in which drinking water is taken from
local wells and thus is closely associated with the groundwater
content within the area, an even stronger association between
zinc and diabetes (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4-0.9) was found. CONCLUSIONS
- It is concluded that this study for the first time provides
evidence that a low groundwater content of zinc, which may reflect
long-term exposure through drinking water, is associated with
later development of childhood onset diabetes.
Med Hypotheses (ENGLAND) Feb 1984, 13 (2) p139-51
Available evidence--some well-documented, some
only preliminary--suggests that properly-designed nutritional
insurance supplementation may have particular value in diabetes.
Comprehensive micronutrient supplementation providing ample
doses of antioxidants, yeast-chromium, magnesium, zinc, pyridoxine,
gamma-linolenic acid, and carnitine, may aid glucose tolerance,
stimulate immune defenses, and promote wound healing, while
reducing the risk and severity of some of the secondary complications
of diabetes. (125 Refs.)
