Written by Tatjana Djakovic, Staff Writer. Cystic fibrosis individuals that were deficient in zinc and took zinc supplements for one year experienced improved lung function as well as less bacterial infections.
Cystic Fibrosis is a detrimental genetic disorder characterized as an abnormally high accumulation of mucus in the lungs. Other clinical manifestations of the disorder include: pancreatic insufficiency (inability to digest food), gastrointestinal symptoms, infertility, and diabetes mellitus (1). The complications in different organs arise to due a malfunctioning chloride channel which is present throughout the body. In the United States, median survival age has improved from 14 years in 1969 to 32 years in 2000, which has been attributed to improvements in nutritional and improvements of pulmonary therapies (2).
Cystic fibrosis patients are at a higher risk of having vitamin deficiencies due to conditions such as steatorrhea (presence of excess fat in the stool) that arises from improper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Cystic fibrosis patients are at risk of having zinc deficiency, which is a manifestation of steatorrhea (3). Adequate levels of zinc in the body are important to decrease the number and severity of infections and lessen the duration of diarrheal episodes (4).
This is a study which analyzes the effect of zinc on cystic fibrosis patients in regards to respiratory status, weight maintenance and the number of infections. Clinical assessments were made utilizing medical files of cystic fibrosis patients. There were 21 patients with a median age of 8.9 years, which received 5mg/kg zinc sulfate per day (maximum 150 mg) for a period of 2 years. The controls were cystic fibrosis patients with normal serum zinc and without zinc supplementation. Data from patient files for the year before and the first year of supplementation were compared (5).
The results indicated that cystic fibrosis individuals that were deficient in zinc and had taken zinc for 1 year experienced better health status. The table below indicates the results that were seen in those patients had a low concentration of zinc at beginning of study and 1 year after.
Zinc-deficient CF
(Before zinc intake)
Zinc-deficient CF
(After zinc intake)
Percent Change
Level of Zinc μg/dl 63.5 95.5 50.4% (p=0.003)
Level of albumin g/dl 4.1 4.2 2.5% (p<0.01)
Level of vitamin A μg/dl 32 34 6.3% (p<0.01)
Energy intake, % 92.3 117 26.8% (p=0.043)
Weight/Height % 90 94 4.4% (p<0.01)
Forced Expiratory Volume, % 72 76.5 4.5% (p<0.001)
Infections Before treatment 3 2 33.3% (p=0.016)
The improvements in cystic fibrosis patients that consumed zinc for 1 year included: increased levels of albumin, vitamin A, daily caloric intake, weight to height ratio, and forced expiratory volume which is indicative of lung function. In addition, there was a decrease in the number of infections, which are common in cystic fibrosis patients due to the inability to clear the bacteria in the lungs (5).
The researchers also collected data from a cystic fibrosis group that was not deficient in zinc, which include a group of 77 patients. Their energy intake remained stable over the analyzed period as did nutritional status and all of the other variables. Over this period, however, deterioration in pulmonary function was observed. The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) decreased by 8.0% from 85.9 to 81 (p<0.0001) (5).
The study demonstrated that zinc supplementation in zinc deficient cystic fibrosis patients showed beneficial effect. However, the results need to be confirmed in a large double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Source: Van Biervliet, Stephanie, et al. “The effect of zinc supplements in cystic fibrosis patients.” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 52.2 (2008): 152-156.
© 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel
Posted July 8, 2013.
References:
- Gilljam, Marita, et al. “Clinical manifestations of cystic fibrosis among patients with diagnosis in adulthood.” CHEST Journal 126.4 (2004): 1215-1224.
- Kulich, Michal, et al. “Improved survival among young patients with cystic fibrosis.” The Journal of pediatrics 142.6 (2003): 631-636.
- Van Caillie Bertrand et al., “Trace elements in cystic fibrosis”. Acta Paediatr Scand 1982;71:203-207.
- Sazawal S. et al., Zinc supplementation in young children with acute diarrhoea in India. N Engl J Med 1995; 333:839-844.
- Van Biervliet, Stephanie, et al. “The effect of zinc supplements in cystic fibrosis patients.” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 52.2 (2008): 152-156.
