A diet rich in zinc could help seniors improve their immune systems, according to the results ofa study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And better protect yourself from infections.
Scientific studies have already taught us that zinc would reduce the duration of the common cold , would improve the health of diabetics by lowering the level of sugar in the blood. This new research shows us that this trace element is essential for boosting the immune system of seniors.
Researchers from Tufts University (United States) conducted a study with 25 participants, with zinc deficiency (low to deficient level) and aged 65 and over. For three months, 12 of them received a daily dose of zinc-enriched multivitamins of 30mg and 13 consumed a placebo multivitamin with a zinc intake limited to 5mg. To understand the effect of zinc on the health of seniors, they analyzed the participants’ immune systems.
If the supplementation allowed a return to normal of the zinc level of the seniors, it especially boosted their immune system: the number of T cells (immune cells) had gained in number and in effectiveness in a more impressive way than in the control group. .
Fill up on zinc
Men should have a daily intake of 11 mg and women 8 mg. It would be enough to eat two Oysters to have … four times more. But we can think of eating lean red meat (such as a 5% fat minced steak), liver, turkey and legumes. It is also found in wheat germ, sprouted seeds and Whole grains.
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