Study Links Zinc Levels to Prostate Health

by | Oct 6, 2011 | 2011, Men's Health, Men's Health - Prostate, Zinc

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS.  A recent research on men diagnosed with prostate cancer found zinc intake to be associated with a lower risk of death from prostate cancer.

Zinc is essential for proper prostate gland function and the growth of the reproductive organs (7), with the concentration of zinc in the prostate being higher than that in any other tissue in the body. Because it is known that cancer cells lose the ability to store zinc (8), it has been suggested that zinc levels in the prostate may be related to overall prostate health. Now a new study (9) has suggested that this may be so.

In the study, 525 men in Sweden with an average age of 71 and diagnosed with prostate cancer were followed for up to 20 years (until death from either prostate cancer or another cause) after their diagnosis, completing a food frequency questionnaire to measure zinc intake. The researchers then divided the men into two groups, those who eventually died from prostate cancer and those who died from another cause.

The researchers found zinc intake to be associated with a lower risk of death from prostate cancer. Specifically, those with the highest 25% of zinc intake (more than15.6 mg per day) had a 36% decreased risk of dying from prostate cancer than those with the lowest 25% of zinc intake (less than 12.8 mg per day). For men diagnosed with prostate cancer that had not yet spread, the risk reduction was even greater for the highest 25%, showing a 76% decreased risk. No protective effect of zinc was found with the other causes of death.

For the researchers, “These results suggest that high dietary intake of zinc is associated with lower prostate cancer–specific mortality after diagnosis, particularly in men with localized disease” and that “Zinc may play a role in determining outcome after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, but not in the development of disease.”

While the current US recommendation is 11 mg per day in men (10), it’s important to know that “more is not better” as research has shown that intakes of greater than 150 mg per day mg have been associated with adverse health effects, including reduced immune function (11).

Source: Epstein, Mara M., et al. “Dietary zinc and prostate cancer survival in a Swedish cohort.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 93.3 (2011): 586-593.

© 2011 American Society for Nutrition

Posted October 6, 2011.

References:

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    9. Epstein MM. Dietary zinc and prostate cancer survival in a Swedish cohort.  Am Jou Clin Nutr 2011; 93:586–93.
    10. “Zinc” – from the Office of Dietary Supplements website.
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