Examining the effects of zinc supplements
The EC-funded ZENITH project studied the effect of zinc supplementation on cohorts of late middle-aged and older men and women from across Europe. One of the main questions that project partners set out to address was the potential effect of zinc supplements on iron and copper metabolism. Immune responses form part of the functions that appear to be affected by zinc deficiency. One of the studies that was carried out examined the effect of zinc supplements on immune responses in groups of Italian men and women. The subjects were in the 70 - 85 years age group. The study examined whether zinc supplementation could in fact improve immune responses in the elderly in relation to gender and pre-existing zinc status. The subjects received zinc supplements for six months within the framework of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The data showed that increased zinc supplementation is not necessarily linked with increased immune responses, in terms of lymphocyte proliferation and stimulation. Some differences between male and females subjects were noted in certain study groups. Further research into these topics is expected to be impact EC policy and public health recommendations concerning zinc supplementation in ageing populations.
