Review of Various Indicators for Assessment of Zinc Requirement and Effectiveness.
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Date
2014-01
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Abstract
Zinc (Zn) has been shown to be an essential micronutrient for all organisms including plants, animals and human beings.
Deprivation of zinc arrests growth and development and produces multiple system dysfunctions in all these organisms. Because
of the involvement of this micronutrient in so many core areas of metabolism, it is common that the features of zinc defi ciency
in humans are nonspecifi c with a wide range including growth retardation, alopecia, diarrhea, delayed sexual maturation and
impotence, eye and skin lesions and even impaired appetite. Clinical features and laboratory criteria are not always consistent.
Th is inconsistency poses a major diffi culty in the search to reliable yet sensitive clinical or functional indicator of zinc status for
validation. Further, it has become clear now that the homeostatic mechanisms fall short of perfection and clinically important
features of zinc defi ciency can occur with only modest degrees of zinc defi ciency. In this review article we try to look critically
at the available tests and various indicators for assessment of zinc’s level for potential requirement and eff ectiveness and try to
conclude about the effi cacy of each.
Description
Keywords
Enzymes, Micronutrient
Citation
Bharadwaj Manisha Naithani Jyoti, Darbari Anshuman. Review of Various Indicators for Assessment of Zinc Requirement and Effectiveness. Acta Medica International. 2014 Jan-June; 1(1): 32-35.