Zinc in human health: An update
1998; Wiley; Volume: 11; Issue: 2-3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1002/(sici)1520-670x(1998)11
ISSN1520-670X
Autores Tópico(s)Trace Elements in Health
ResumoIn this review topics such as zinc and growth, zinc and serum testosterone levels, association of zinc and iron deficiencies, zinc and Alzheimer's disease, zinc as a therapeutic agent, and role of zinc in immunity, have been covered. A meta-analysis of zinc supplementation trials from nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, eight from North America or Europe, five from Asia and the Middle East, and three from Africa revealed a highly significant effect of zinc supplementation on height and weight in children less than 13 years of age. It appears that the growth stimulating effect of zinc is mediated through changes in circulating IGF-I. A recent study from China showed that zinc supplementation improved neuropsychological functions in children 6 to 9 years old. A study from Birmingham, Alabama showed that zinc-supplemented women gave birth to infants who weighed more and had greater head circumference in comparison to infants of women who did not receive zinc. Serum testosterone correlated with cellular zinc concentration in healthy adults ages 20 to 80 years of age. Therapeutic uses of zinc include treatment of infantile diarrhea and chronic diarrhea in developing countries, treatment of common cold, and treatment of Wilson's disease. Recent studies indicated that in humans zinc deficiency results in an imbalance between TH1 and TH2 cell functions, which accounts for decreased cell-mediated immunity. Zinc is a T cell-specific growth factor, and a decreased gene expression of DNA-synthesizing enzyme thymidine kinase in zinc-deficient HUT-78—a malignant lymphoblastoid human T cell line—adversely affected the DNA synthesis in S phase and delayed cell cycle. J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 11: 63-87, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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