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New study shows that Zinc not only promotes a healthy immune system, it also helps fight infections by activating T cells to destroy viruses and bacteria. Zinc supplementation has been shown to slow childhood diarrhea, decrease respiratory infections, and lower occurrence of malaria in zinc-deficient children. Elderly folk's weakening of immunity is also related to low levels of zinc.
The study evaluated the effect of zinc on T cell activation and found that volunteers who took the zinc supplements had higher activation levels than those who took placebos. The cell activation specifically targeted ZIP8, a zinc transporter in T cells that transports stored zinc into the cytoplasm of cells where T cell proteins are changed to fight infections.
These findings have shed some light on how zinc affects the body's immune system. This might point to new supplements to benefit the immune function or stop infections that are becoming resistant to traditional antibiotics.
Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology| Related News |
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