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Adequate Zinc Eases Pneumonia in Elderly WASHINGTON, DC -- August 10, 2010 -- A high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum zinc concentrations during an observational study and researchers found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50% less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was led by Simin Nikbin Meydani, Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts. The researchers have been studying immune response and respiratory infections in about 600 elderly residents in 33 nursing facilities in the Boston area. Dr. Meydani and colleagues previously reported that among the facility residents, those who consumed 200 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily for 1 year were 20% less likely to get upper respiratory infections than those who took a placebo. The secondary analysis of data from the same clinical trial showed a high proportion of the residents had low serum zinc concentrations at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. All participants had been supplemented with half of the recommended dietary allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc, during the trial. Those with normal zinc status were not only less likely to develop pneumonia, they also had fewer new prescriptions for antibiotics, a shorter duration of pneumonia, and fewer days of antibiotic use compared with residents who had low zinc levels. In addition, mortality was lower in those with adequate blood zinc levels. The study suggests that supplementation of zinc-deficient elderly may result in reduced risk of pneumonia. Still, the authors noted that controlled clinical trials are needed to test efficacy of zinc supplementation as a low-cost intervention to reduce mortality due to pneumonia among vulnerable populations who already have low zinc levels. SOURCE: United States Department of Agriculture-Research, Education, and Economics E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version