Researchers from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University and the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences found that it is especially important for elderly people to get adequate dietary intake of zinc.
In a study with laboratory animals, researchers found that zinc transporters were significantly dysregulated in old animals.
They showed signs of zinc deficiency and had an enhanced inflammatory response even though their diet supposedly contained adequate amounts of zinc.
When the animals were given about 10 times their dietary requirement for zinc, the biomarkers of inflammation were restored to those of young animals.
"We've previously shown in both animal and human studies that zinc deficiency can cause DNA damage, and this new work shows how it can help lead to systemic inflammation," said researcher Emily Ho.
"Some inflammation is normal, a part of immune defense, wound healing and other functions. But in excess, it's been associated with almost every degenerative disease you can think of, including cancer and heart disease. It appears to be a significant factor in the diseases that most people die from," Ho said in a statement.
"We found that the mechanisms to transport zinc are disrupted by age-related epigenetic changes," said Carmen Wong, an OSU research associate and co-author of this study.
"This can cause an increase in DNA methylation and histone modifications that are related to disease processes, especially cancer. Immune system cells are also particularly vulnerable to zinc deficiency," Wong said.
The study was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
