Pneumonia Risk Reduction Seen by Elderly Who Took Zinc

Elderly who live in nursing homes may significantly benefit for having and maintaining a normal zinc concentration in the blood according to a new Tufts University recent study. One of the benefits of zinc supplementation benefits refer to the reduction in the risk of developing pneumonia. Reduction of 50% have been seen in this study.

Pneumonia is a disease of the respiratory system particularly of the lungs. The alveoli, which are microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung, become inflamed and flooded with fluid during the pneumonia disease. There are many factors that can cause pneumonia, including infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Also, chemical or physical injury to the lungs can cause pneumonia.

Although pneumonia is a common condition that can and occurs in all age groups, it affects particular age groups. For example, it is known that pneumonia is a leading cause of death among the elderly. Pneumonia symptoms may include cough, greenish or yellow sputum, high fever, shaking chills, shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, a sharp or stabbing pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, blueness of the skin, nausea, vomiting, mood swings, and joint pains or muscle aches.

Dr. Simin Nikbin Meydani, lead researcher is a member of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University . Meydani and colleagues enrolled 617 men and women from 33 nursing homes in the Boston area for a one-year study on the effect of Zinc on their health.

The study's involved elderly receiving daily supplements containing 50 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of zinc in addition to other vitamins. The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, compared blood samples collected at the beginning and the conclusion of the study.

Some of the participants whose blood zinc concentrations remained low throughout that 12-month period had more risk of developing pneumonia and more difficulties handling pneumonia.