Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a broad term that describes conditions characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
The two most common inflammatory bowel diseases are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Zinc is a mineral that is essential for many of the body’s normal functions and systems, including the immune system, wound healing, blood clotting, thyroid function, and the senses of taste and smell.
Zinc also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence.
In a study from the National Institute of Gastroenterology “Saverio de Bellis” in Italy, scientists found the prevalence of zinc deficiency is about 50% in inflammatory bowel disease and is higher in patients with Crohn’s disease than those with ulcerative colitis.
They did a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of zinc deficiency in inflammatory bowel disease.
The researchers found that in all studies, the risk of zinc deficiency was higher in Crohn’s disease than in ulcerative colitis.
The overall mean zinc deficiency prevalence was 54 percent in the Crohn’s disease population compared with 41 percent in the ulcerative colitis population.
The team says the research highlights the importance of considering zinc as a micronutrient to be monitored because every second inflammatory bowel disease patient shows a deficiency.
According to these results, zinc deficiency is more prevalent in the Crohn’s disease population, probably due to the more severely malabsorptive nature of this condition and also in light of the proximal site of zinc absorption in the intestine.
If you care about bowel health, please read studies that ultra-processed food could increase risk of inflammatory bowel disease, and common bowel disease drugs may prevent severe COVID-19.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about the cause of long COVID ‘brain fog’, and results showing a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.
The study was conducted by Roberta Zupo et al and published in Nutrients.
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