Can Zinc Help Suppress Pneumonia in the Elderly?

There have been reports that zinc supplements can shorten the duration of the common cold, a virus infection. Now a study shows that they can shorten pneumonia and reduce antibiotic use in nursing home residents, which is commonly due to a bacterial infection.

The Tufts University study, which is reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was based on data from a trial of vitamin E supplementation. All participants (vitamin E and placebo patients) were given daily doses of 50% of the recommended dietary allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc. The 500-odd participants were classified as having low (below 70 microgram/dL) or normal (70 microgram/dL or above) serum zinc levels. The researchers measured the frequency and duration of pneumonia, antibiotic use, deaths due to pneumonia, and all-cause deaths.

Compared with those with low zinc levels, the normal-zinc patients had a lower frequency of pneumonia, shorter duration, fewer antibiotic prescriptions, and fewer days of antibiotics; they also had reduced all-cause mortality.

This is a so-called “observational study”. To be able to claim with certainty that increased zinc levels can improve the course of pneumonia in the elderly, a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of zinc supplementation would have to be conducted. It will be interesting to see if there is a sponsor for such an expensive study – there aren’t many pharmaceutical companies manufacturing zinc supplements. In the meantime, zinc supplementation may be a reasonable step for older folk in nursing homes.