Eating Zinc Could Affect DNA Methylation and the Immune System

Zinc plays a role in a wide range of important processes like healing wounds, synthesizing proteins and DNA, and the division of cells. It’s even required to be able to taste and smell properly. Zinc is naturally found in meat, shellfish, and other foods that are high in protein. Not only are oysters low in calories and chock-full of minerals and vitamins, but they are also known to contain some of the highest amounts of zinc. Not getting enough of this important mineral could lead to chronic disease involved in inflammation such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Older adults are more likely to have these diseases because they’re more at risk for zinc deficiency. It’s also imperative to maintain a proper daily intake of zinc because the body does not have a specialized storage system for it.

When you take away zinc, the cells that control inflammation appear to activate and respond differently; this causes the cells to promote more inflammation. About 12 percent of individuals in the United States do not have enough zinc in their diets, as much as 40 percent of people 65 and older do not get the proper amount of zinc. Because older adults typically do not eat enough food containing zinc and their bodies do not seem to absorb or use zinc as well as younger individuals, they are more likely to develop zinc deficiency and inflammation-related disease. Decreasing zinc resulted in improper activation of immune cells and deregulations of a protein known as cytokine IL-6 (interleukin 6), which impacts inflammation in the cell.