A team of researchers has recently suggested that taking zinc supplements can significantly inhibit the rapid growth of cancer cells in the human body.
Key Highlights
- The researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington in Texas found that zinc supplements can significantly inhibit the proliferation of esophageal cancer, which affects the tube running from the throat to the stomach.
- They explained that zinc impedes overactive calcium signals in cancer cells, a feature absent in normal cells, and thus zinc selectively inhibits cancer cell growth.
- Zinc deficiency has been observed in many cancer patients, and both clinical data and animal studies have shown that this mineral is essential for overall body health and cancer prevention.
About Zinc
- Zinc is an important element in many proteins and enzymes, and without it, cells cannot function properly, the authors explained.
- Zinc-enriched foods include spinach, flax seeds, beef, pumpkin seeds, and seafood like shrimp and oysters.
- The richest food sources of zinc include meat, fish, and seafood. Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food.
- Fruits and vegetables contain very little zinc. zinc is the second most common trace metal, after iron, naturally found in the human body.
- Zinc is the 23rd most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Sphalerite, zinc sulfide, is and has been the principal ore mineral in the world.
(Source: DD News)
