Study Finds Zinc Deficiency Linked to Prostate Cancer.

Maintaining adequate cellular zinc levels may be important in preventing prostate cancer according to a recent study conducted at Oregon State University and published in The Journal of Nutrition (2008;138:667-73). Zinc, an essential trace element for human health, is a critical component of many proteins and transcription factors involved in DNA damage response and repair. The prostate is known to accumulate high levels of zinc, but levels are markedly decreased with cancer development. Researchers hypothesized that zinc plays a critical role in maintaining DNA integrity in the prostate and zinc deficiency would lead to increased DNA damage and diminished DNA damage response mechanisms. This study sought to determine the effects of zinc deficiency on DNA damage and DNA repair mechanisms by examining changes in global gene expression and transcription factor binding abilities in normal prostate epithelial cells (PrEC). Increased single-strand DNA breaks were observed, using comet assay, in normal PrEC cells grown in zinc-deficient media compared with cells grown in zinc-adequate media for seven days. Differential expression of genes involved in cell cycle, apoptosis, transcription, and DNA damage response and repair were identified with low cellular zinc. Researchers noted that when zinc was removed from cells, DNA damage was double that found in normal cells. Increased DNA damage is known to increase cancer risk. Additionally, zinc deficiency impaired the mechanisms that help repair DNA damage, further exacerbating cancer risk.L-OptiZinc is a patented form of methionine-bound zinc. L-OptiZinc is a unique 1:1 complex of zinc and l-methionine, the amino acid that is best absorbed by the body.