The Importance Of Zinc In The Body

The hard-working and professional team at LovelyHealth.com would like to draw our attention to the publication of a recent study conducted on aged mice which outlines the way in which zinc deficiency increases with age, and links this dysfunction to increased levels of inflammation and immune system impairment. Inflammation is associated with a variety of chronic health problems, including heart disease, autoimmune disease and diabetes. The study conducted at Oregon State University (OSU) and published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry suggests that the recommended levels of zinc supplementation might have to be increased in older people in light of the evidence for a steep drop off in utilisation.

“There is a whole family of transporters that help control zinc in the body and how it goes into cells. There is a family of 24; it is a fairly complex system. What we found is that there are a few of them that are different in an older animal compared to a young one. If you give an older animal x-amount of zinc, they don’t seem to take it up as well as a younger one. But we don’t really know why,” Emily Ho, PhD, an OSU professor and one of the study’s authors said.

Zinc is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism. It is a part of enzyme activity, plays a role in immune function, protein synthesis and wound healing. A steady intake of zinc is required as the body has no specialised zinc storage system. It is still not entirely clear by what mechanism the dysregulation of the zinc transporters and resulting poor zinc utilisation result in increased inflammation, Ho Said, but the link is real.

For anyone wishing to know more about zinc and its importance in the body, the Lovely Health.com Customer Service department is there to help and, in particular, Kathrin Golland  who works hard to help her Lovely Heath.com customers. She can be reached at enquiries@lovelyhealth.com.

The Lovely Health.com team are there to supply unique New Zealand dietary supplements to the world at a great price, with excellent customer service and they make many of their own products. The pages on their website are an information rich source for those looking to support their immune systems and for other sensible and natural treatments. Lovely Health.com have been selling on the internet for 13 years with excellent prices and fantastic customer service.

For more information please visit their website at http://www.lovelyhealth.com.