School of Medicine Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-15-2024
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a global health problem and a major contributor to mortality and morbidity. The management of this condition typically involves using oral antidiabetic medication, insulin, and appropriate dietary modifications, with a focus on macronutrient intake. However, several human studies have indicated that a deficiency in micronutrients, such as zinc, can be associated with insulin resistance as well as greater glucose intolerance. Zinc serves as a chemical messenger, acts as a cofactor to increase enzyme activity, and is involved in insulin formation, release, and storage. These diverse functions make zinc an important trace element for the regulation of blood glucose levels. Adequate zinc levels have also been shown to reduce the risk of developing diabetic complications. This review article explains the role of zinc in glucose metabolism and the effects of its inadequacy on the development, progression, and complications of diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, it describes the impact of zinc supplementation on preventing diabetes mellitus. The available information suggests that zinc has beneficial effects on the management of diabetic patients. Although additional large-scale randomized clinical trials are needed to establish zinc’s clinical utility further, efforts should be made to increase awareness of its potential benefits on human health and disease.
Recommended Citation
Ahmad, R., Shaju, R., Atfi, A., & Razzaque, M. S. (2024). Zinc and diabetes: a connection between micronutrient and metabolism. Cells, 13(16), 1359. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13161359
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Cells
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13161359
Academic Level
faculty
Mentor/PI Department
Medical Education
Comments
© 2024 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).