Zinc is an essential micronutrient that often flies under the radar, despite being vital for hundreds of enzymes and transcription factors involved in immunity, antioxidant defense, and DNA repair.

A surprisingly large segment of the population may not get enough – an estimated 10% of U.S. individuals consume less than half the recommended zinc intake, putting them at risk of deficiency.

In this episode, Prof. Emily Ho discusses how even mild zinc insufficiency can impair immune function, promote chronic inflammation, and accelerate aspects of aging. She delves into the concept of “inflammaging” – the chronic, low-grade inflammation that develops with age – and explains how inadequate zinc status can aggravate this process.

The conversation also highlights emerging research on zinc’s role in DNA integrity and how restoring zinc levels can reverse certain damage, underscoring zinc’s broader significance in healthy aging and disease prevention.

Overall, this episode provides a deep scientific look at why maintaining adequate zinc status is crucial for immune resilience and mitigating age-related inflammatory and oxidative damage.

About the Guest

Emily Ho, PhD is the Director of the Linus Pauling Institute and professor in the College of Health at Oregon State University. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which nutrient status and healthy foods affect the initiation and/or progression of chronic diseases such as cancer.

Her work has helped drive dietary requirements and recommendations for micronutrients such as zinc for communities with susceptibility to poor nutrition.

Timestamps

• [02:10] Interview begins
• [03:58] The roles of zinc
• [06:31] Zinc deficiency and insufficiency
• [14:26] Prevalence and risk factors of zinc deficiency
• [21:12] Zinc and age-related inflammation
• [29:39] Zinc’s impact on chronic diseases
• [31:20] Practical advice on zinc supplementation
• [41:14] Final thoughts

Related Resources

• Go to episode page (includes related research)
• Join the Sigma email newsletter for free
• Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
• Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
• Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) Website
• Micronutrient Information Center
• Top 10 Micronutrients for Healthy Aging
• Webinars on LPI YouTube