Your immune system is your body's first line of defense against disease and infection. Maintaining your immune system is a key priority if you want to reduce the rate and severity of illness. Zinc is an important micronutrient that is key to several biological processes, including immune function. By keeping your zinc intake in line with the recommended daily requirement, you can help to maintain your immune system.
Zinc
Zinc serves many functions in addition to immune regulation. The presence of zinc is required in over 100 different enzymatic reactions. It also plays an important role in DNA transcription and RNA translation. Although zinc is very important to your health, your body has no way of storing zinc; it must be ingested daily. The Food and Nutrition Board recommends that adult men and women take in 11 and 8 mg of zinc per day respectively. Natural sources of zinc include foods such as most meats, cashews and almonds. Oysters have a very high amount of zinc. A medium-sized oyster contains nearly 12 mg of zinc.
Specific Immunity
The presence of zinc is one of the determining factors for how many lymphocytes are present in your bloodstream. Zinc is key to lymphoid cell activation and the enzymes used in immune response. If zinc is not present in a sufficient amount, you can suffer a condition known as lymphopenia. This is a condition that occurs when the number of lymphocytes has been reduced. Lymphocytes are the cells in your body responsible for fighting foreign bacteria and viruses. A reduction in lymphocytes compromises your body's ability to fight infections much like being immunodeficient.
Nonspecific Immunity
Nonspecific immunity consists of general defenses against infection and disease such as the skin and natural killer cells. You skin acts as a physical barrier to foreign cells and pathogens. If these cells should make it past this barrier, the skin is responsible for signaling the immune system through the release of histamine. This chemical alert calls the rest of the killer cells to the infection site to begin work. Zinc serves a role in the histamine response and plays a part in repairing damaged skin so foreign cells cannot enter. Natural killer cells are responsible for destroying the foreign cells once they enter the body. Zinc plays an important part in regulating their presence.
Zinc Deficiency
Zinc deficiency is rather uncommon in North America due to its prevalence in most of the foods available. It occurs more often due to diseases such as Crohn's, celiac, diabetes and sickle cell, which can cause malabsorption or increase the need for zinc. If it becomes obvious that you are not getting enough zinc through your diet, it is highly recommended that you use a supplement. Symptoms of zinc deficiency include hair loss, impotence, stunted growth, mental lethargy and delayed wound healing. If you suspect you have a zinc deficiency, see your doctor for a diagnosis and recommendations for a supplement that would be right for you.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH: Zinc
- International Infant Food Manufacturers: Importance of Zinc in Human Health
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Zinc and Immune Function; A.H. Shankar, et al.; August 1998
- "Proceedings of the Nutritional Society"; Zinc and the Immune System; L. Rink, et al.; November 2000
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