According to the Federal Drug Administration, zinc chloride is an injectable prescription drug, administered by a health professional, that provides your body with zinc, a trace metal that is integral to the healing process and helps promote a healthy immune system. Deficiency of the mineral has been linked to stunted growth, acute diarrhea in children, and susceptibility to infection. While zinc chloride is only available with a prescription, other zinc supplements, such as zinc gluconate, are available over the counter as an oral supplement.
Immune System and Healing
Zinc helps to promote a healthy immune system. A study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that zinc plays a role in producing and regulating T cells, B cells, and Natural Killer cells, which are integral parts of our bodies' ability to fight infection and reject viruses and tumors. A person with a zinc deficiency is at a higher risk of infection and will experience slower healing time for wounds.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
A 2008 study in the "Archives of Ophthalmology," found that a supplement of either zinc or zinc and antioxidants significantly reduced the rate of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) -- or loss of vision due to age -- in patients, when compared to a control group receiving a placebo. However, while zinc may help to reduce the incidence of advanced AMD, scientists have yet to find a link between zinc and the early stages of AMD; it may only serve to prevent further degeneration in patients already susceptible to AMD.
Kidney Protection
Normally, exposure to heavy metals, such as mercury, is toxic to the liver. However, a group of Nigerian researchers published a study in the "Archives of Environmental Health" that suggest that zinc mitigates this effect. In the study researchers treated mice with low-level amounts of mercury and zinc for 12 weeks. At the end of the 12 weeks they weighed and examined the animals' livers and found that the mice treated with the zinc and mercury had livers that resembled the control, while the mice that only received mercury had bloated and poisoned livers.
Some Disadvantages of Zinc
Zinc reacts with quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics in the intestinal tract, resulting in neither the antibiotics nor the zinc being absorbed into the body, and zinc has been shown to react in a similar manner with some arthritis drugs. Additionally, as is the case with many supplements, too much zinc may negatively effect the body. The upper intake level for zinc is 40mg per day for the average adult. Any more than this may result in chronic deficiency of other metals, such as iron and copper, in addition to acute nausea and vomiting.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Zinc and Immune Function: The Biological Basis of Altered Resistance to Infection.; A.H. Shankar, et al.; August 1998
- "Archives of Ophthalmology"; A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial of High-Dose Supplementation with Vitamins C and E, Beta Carotene, and Zinc for Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Vision Loss; Research Group; October 2001
- "Archives of Environmental Health"; Nephrotoxic Actions of Low-Dose Mercury in Mice: Protection by Zinc; Afonne Onyenmechi, et al.; March 2002
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc
- Federal Drug Administration: Zinc Chloride
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