Zinc: a micronutrient
Zinc-Rich Foods and RDA
Clinical Aspect and Significance
Therapeutic Significance in treatment of Diarrhoea
Zinc- a micronutrient:
• 3rd most abundant trace element in body
• Essential for the proper function of cellular metabolism
• About 100 enzymes rely on zinc to help them catalyze vital
• Protects cell membranes from oxidative damage and
stabilizes the structure of cell proteins
•Zinc proteins bind to DNA and help the cells to do what
• Important for growth, gestation and disease prevention
• Helps control the release of hormones and the transmission
of nerve impulses
Zinc Rich Foods
Do you take any of these food daily, if yes?
so you are taking in zinc!!
Recommended Daily Allowance of Zinc:
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA for zinc:
0 - 6 months: 2* milligrams per day (mg/day)
7 - 12 months: 3* mg/day
*Adequate Intake (AI)
1 - 3 years: 3 mg/day
4 - 8 years: 5 mg/day
9 - 13 years: 8 mg/day
Adolescents and Adults
Males age 14 and over: 11 mg/day
Females age 14 to 18 years: 9 mg/day
Females age 19 and over: 8 mg/day
Pregnant and lactating mothers: 25mg/day
The best way to get the daily requirement of essential minerals is to eat a
balanced diet that contains a variety of foods.
• In humans, zinc is absorbed mainly in the Dudoneum and
• 33 percent is accepted as the average zinc absorption in
• zinc may be more bio-available from drinking water than from
• The pancreas secretes a zinc binding factor which helps in the
absorption of zinc
• HIGH amounts of Calcium phosphate and phytic acid interfere
with zinc absorption
• Zinc-deprived humans absorb this element with increased
efficiency, whereas humans on a high-zinc diet show a
reduced efficiency of absorption
•Zinc absorbed from the intestine is carried to the liver bound to
•Zinc is present in the human body in the concentration of 0.3
mg/ kg body weight
•Zinc is abundant in red and white blood cells , with zinc found in
the erythrocytes largely bound to carbonic anhydrase
•The remaining plasma zinc is primarily bound to albumin
•Redistribution of zinc can occur under stress
• Zinc is primarily excreted via the gastrointestinal tract
• Excretory mechanisms contribute to zinc homeostasis;
• Under normal circumstances, about 0.5 mg of zinc may
be lost in perspiration, and about an equal amount is
lost in daily urine
• Although the kidney nephrons appear capable of
secreting and reabsorbing zinc, urinary zinc does not
appear to fluctuate with diet
• High-protein diets, however, are reported to increase
Zinc plays a vital role in the following:
Vitamin A metabolism
Growth and Reproduction
Biosynthesis of Mononucleotides
Binding of regulatory proteins to DNA
Three Unique Motifs
Zinc- finger Motif
ZINC- DEFICIENCY DISEASE
• A rare inherited disease of abnormal zinc absorption
• Autosomal recessive
• Characterized by dermatologic, ophthalmologic,
gastrointestinal and neuropsychiatric features along with
growth retardation and hypogonadism
Depressed Immune Response
Zinc decreases copper absorption in the body
Therapeutic Significance in treatment
• No other treatment has been proven as efficacious
as zinc in reducing the duration of acute diarrhoea in
children of developing countries
antisecretory drugs and enzymes are overused
• Decreasing the occurrence of prolonged and
persistent diarrhoea by zinc administration may
substantially reduce the number of childhood
What is zinc? and what does it do?
How much zinc do we need?
What are the sources of zinc?
How is zinc absorbed in the body?
How is zinc distributed in the body?
How is zinc excreted from the body?
What is the clinical significance of zinc?
What is the therapeutic significance of zinc?