Zinc and immune function: how zinc status affects immunity
What it found
Zinc deficiency is linked to impaired immune function, and zinc supplementation may help restore it.
The findings come from human, animal and lab studies.
What they found
Studies in people
Zinc supplementation benefits
Zinc supplementation is used to treat pediatric diarrhea, Wilson's disease, and age-related macular degeneration. It has also shown benefits in viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, and in autoimmune diseases.
Zinc transporters and disease
Mutations in zinc transporters, such as ZIP4, cause Acrodermatitis Enteropathica, a severe zinc deficiency disorder. Other zinc transporter-related diseases are discussed.
Animal and lab studies
Zinc signals in immune cells
Zinc acts as a second messenger in immune cells, with fast zinc fluxes, zinc waves, and homeostatic zinc signals. These signals regulate signaling pathways, including those involving kinases and phosphatases.
Studies in people and animals
Zinc deficiency and immunity
Zinc deficiency is linked to immune dysfunction, including decreased T cell numbers and impaired natural killer cell activity. In developing countries, zinc deficiency is the 5th leading cause of lost healthy life years.
Zinc and T cell development
Zinc deficiency disturbs T cell development and function, including a shift toward Th2-driven allergic reactions. Zinc supplementation can reverse these effects.
Zinc and inflammation
During inflammation, zinc is redistributed from serum to organs, causing transient low serum zinc. This may act as a danger signal for immune cells.
What the authors conclude
“Zinc homeostasis is essential for multiple aspects of the immune system including hematopoiesis, cell maturation and cell differentiation, cell cycle progression, and for the proper function of immune-cells.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that zinc is essential for proper immune function and that zinc supplementation may benefit a malfunctioning immune system.
- They emphasize the need for further research to understand the mechanisms of zinc in immune regulation and to identify reliable biomarkers for zinc status.
How it was done
Zinc deficiency is common worldwide, affecting about two billion people, and is associated with immune dysfunction and chronic diseases. The authors wanted to explain how zinc controls immune cell signaling.
The authors reviewed molecular mechanisms by which zinc regulates immune cell signaling, drawing on studies in humans, mice and cells. They focused on zinc transporters, zinc-binding proteins and signaling pathways in innate and adaptive immune cells.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a review of many studies, so it cannot show cause and effect.
- Many findings come from animal or lab studies, which may not apply to people.
- There is no reliable biomarker to assess zinc status, making it difficult to diagnose deficiency.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Wessels I, Maywald M, Rink L (2017). Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu9121286Free full textPubMed 29186856DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error