Small Increase in Zinc Consumption Can Stop DNA Damage

Zinc is an important mineral that facilitates human development and growth, along with assisting to keep the body’s immune system healthy. New study advises that even a small raise in daily zinc consumption can assist the body to safeguard its DNA.

Zinc is important for human development while in pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence; it is involved in many elements of cellular metabolism and cell division.

The mineral also performs a part in DNA synthesis, protein synthesis, and assists our body to cure its wounds. Zinc can restrict inflammation and oxidative stress, which means that it may also safeguard against cardiovascular problems and some cancers.

With time, our DNA declines, but the human body also has the capability to regrow it till late adulthood. However, inadequate zinc compromises the body’s capability to repair day-to-day DNA “wear and tear.”

The everyday amount of zinc, as suggested by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is 8 mg for women and 11 mg for men, although guidelines vary with respect to age.

New study – presented in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – recommends that an extra intake no more than 4 mg daily can have a beneficial impact on cellular health, along with assist the human body to protect against infections.

Evaluating the effect of ‘modest’ dietary zinc increase on the human body

Investigators from the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) in California start to figure out the effect of a small raise in dietary zinc on metabolic functions and measures of zinc status in the body.

Led by CHORI Senior Scientist Janet King, the study team examined the impact of a raise equal to that which biofortified crops offer in the diet of populations that are nutrient deficient.

The authors describe that while food fortification a little bit increases the zinc content of cereals like as wheat and rice, few studies have found a positive impact on the functional indicators of zinc levels in the human body.

Investigators developed a randomized, 6-week controlled study where 18 men taken a low-zinc, rice-based diet.

The diet consisted of 6 mg daily for 2 weeks and continued with 10 mg daily for the remaining 4 weeks.

Prior to and after the diet, the investigators assessed zinc homeostasis indicators and other metabolic indicators, such as DNA damage, DNA inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Modest raise in zinc decreases DNA damage

The study unveiled considerable modifications in the zinc homeostasis indicators.

Researchers identified a raise in the levels of total absorbed zinc, while plasma zinc concentrations and the exchangeable zinc pool size stayed the same.

Leukocyte DNA strand breaks were also decreased with elevated dietary zinc, which indicates that a modest raise in zinc decreases the everyday “wear and tear” of the DNA.

This is the initial time that a small raise in dietary zinc has been demonstrated to decrease oxidative stress and DNA damage.

Commenting on their findings study lead Janet King said,

“We were amazed to see that just a little raise in dietary zinc can have like a considerable effect on how metabolism is performed throughout the body. These outcomes offer a new approach for measuring the effect of zinc on health and strengthen the proof that food-based interventions can enhance micronutrient deficiencies globally.”