PURPOSE OF REVIEW Zinc is essential for multiple cellular functions including immunity. Many investigators have used zinc supplementation in an attempt to affect the outcome of various diseases. These efforts were aimed at either supporting immunity by zinc administration or correcting the zinc dependent immune functions in zinc deficient individuals. RECENT FINDINGS In this review, recent fi...

background: zinc is an essential trace element required for the functional activity of several enzyme systems. several studies have been carried out to assess the effect of zinc supplementation on children’s growth, but controversy exists as to the effect of zinc on growth and gh-igf-i system. objective:  the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on linear growth ...

BACKGROUND It has been reported that some alopecia areata patients have zinc deficiency. There have also been several reports published concerning oral zinc sulfate therapy, with encouraging results, in some alopecia areata patients. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of oral zinc supplementation for twelve weeks in alopecia areata patients who had a l...

Alcoholic liver disease is associated with zinc decrease in the liver. Therefore, we examined whether dietary zinc supplementation could provide protection from alcoholic liver injury. Metallothionein-knockout and wild-type 129/Sv mice were pair-fed an ethanol-containing liquid diet for 12 weeks, and the effects of zinc supplementation on ethanol-induced liver injury were analyzed. Zinc supplem...

The trace element zinc plays an important role in human life. Zinc deficiency impairs growth, reproduction, metabolism and immunity in both human and animals. Thus, zinc supplementation is recommended in daily life. However, the effect of long-term chronic zinc supplementation on adipose homeostasis has not been well elucidated. In the current study, mice were supplemented with zinc sulfate in ...

BACKGROUND Zinc deficiency due to poor nutrition or genetic mutations in zinc transporters is a global health problem and approaches to providing effective dietary zinc supplementation while avoiding potential toxic side effects are needed. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Conditional knockout of the intestinal zinc transporter Zip4 (Slc39a4) in mice creates a model of the lethal human genetic dise...

Background: Studies have shown that zinc and selenium deficiency is common in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the effects of zinc and selenium co-supplementation before and/or after disease progression on NAFLD are not clear enough. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of zinc and selenium co-supplementation before and/or after disease progression on NAFLD prognos...

Introduction Zinc is a vital micronutrient in humans and its deficiency in children can thwart their growth and development, compromise their immunity and cognitive function. However, there is a paucity of studies about the effect of zinc supplementation on cognitive functions. This study is an attempt to quantify the impact of zinc supplementation on cognitive performance of schoolchildren. Ma...

BACKGROUND For over a decade, the importance of zinc in the treatment of acute and persistent diarrhea has been recognized. In spite of recently published reviews, there remain several unanswered questions about the role of zinc supplementation in childhood diarrhea in the developing countries. Our study aimed to assess the therapeutic benefits of zinc supplementation in the treatment of acute ...

Background: Oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant levels have been projected as a potential factors involved in the pathophysiology of diverse male infertility types, including asthenospermia. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the male reproductive tract has become an actual concern because of their probable noxious effects, at high levels, on physical properties of sperm ...