Increased intakes of zinc may decrease the risk of type-2 diabetes by 28 per cent, according to a new study from Harvard. The results are published in the journal Diabetes Care. Zinc, one of the most plentiful trace elements in the body, second only to iron, mediates many physiological functions. It is believed to be essential for maintaining a healthy immune system; recent science suggests the mineral could also influence memory, muscle strength and endurance in adults. Zinc nutrition in very young children has been related to motor, cognitive and psychosocial function. The Harvard study involved 82,297 women aged between 33 and 60 taking part in the Nurses' Health Study. Over the course of 24 years, 6,030 cases of type-2 diabetes were documented. Women with the highest average dietary intakes of the mineral were 10 per cent less likely to develop diabetes, while women with the highest average total intakes had their risk reduced by 8 per cent. Further number crunching by the researchers took into account other potentially confounding factors, and showed that increasing intakes of the mineral were associated with a reduction up to 28 per cent.
Bonnie - a large scale study showing the benefits of a mineral? Why didn't this make front page news?
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