Zinc is a trace mineral that essential for health. It is necessary for many processes such as wound healing, immune system maintenance, and enzyme reactions in the body. Zinc deficiency can result in birth defects. Zinc deficiency can occur in alcoholics, digestive disorders, those with low calorie intake, and vegetarians.
Fibromyalgia
Weir and colleagues in the June 2006 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Rheumatology" showed an incidence of 11.28 cases per 1000 person-years for females for fibromyalgia and 6.8 for men. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition where the patient suffers from pain in the muscles and tendons, sleep disturbances, and fatigue.
Zinc Deficiency
Sendur and colleagues in the September 2008 issue of the journal "Rheumatology International" studied thirty-two patients with fibromyalgia and compared their levels of trace minerals with a control group. They found that both magnesium and zinc were significantly lower in patients with fibromyalgia than the healthy controls.
Zinc Deficiency and Pain
Zinc deficiency can result in reduced pain tolerance. Terril-Robb and colleagues showed in an animal study published in a 1996 issue of the "Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine" that animals who were zinc deficient showed an increased sensitivity to touch. The study also showed nerve damage in zinc deficient animals.
Antioxidants
Zinc is known to have antioxidant properties. Iqbal in the April 2010 issue of "Rheumatology International" showed that oxidative stress may play a role in fibromyalgia and, therefore, supplementing with antioxidants may effectively reduce symptoms. However, Naziroglu and colleagues in the July 2010 issue of "Stress" showed that supplementing with the antioxidants vitamin C and E had no effect on fibromyalgia symptoms.
Treatments
There is no cure for fibromyalgia--treatment involves controlling the symptoms. Supplementation of vitamins and minerals should be discussed with a doctor. A well balanced diet may help any vitamin and mineral deficiency.
References
- "Journal Clinical Rheumatology"; The Incidence of Fibromyalgia and its Associated Comorbidities: a Population-based Retrospective Cohort Study Based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision Codes; Weir PT, et al; June 2006
- Medline Plus: Zinc
- "Rheumatology International": The Relationship Between Serum Trace Element Levels and Clinical Parameters in Patients with Fibromyalgia; Sendur OF, et al.; September 2008
- "Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine"; Morphophysiologic Characterization of Peripheral Neuropathy in Zinc-Deficient Guinea Pigs; Terril-Robb LA, et al.; October 1996
- "Rheumatology International"; Pathophysiology and Antioxidant Status of Patients with Fibromyalgia; Iqbal R, et al.; 1996
- "Stress"; Vitamins C and E Treatment Combined with Exercise Modulates Oxidative Stress Markers in Blood of Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Controlled Clinical Pilot Study; Naziroglu M, et al.; July 2010
