Though rice is the predominant source of energy and micronutrients for more than half of the world population, it does not provide enough zinc (Zn) to match human nutritional requirements. Moreover, climate change, particularly rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, reduces the grain Zn concentration. Therefore, rice biofortification has been recognized as a key target to increase the...

Suboptimal dietary zinc (Zn(2+)) intake is increasingly appreciated as an important public health issue. Zn(2+) is an essential mineral, and infants are particularly vulnerable to Zn(2+) deficiency, as they require large amounts of Zn(2+) for their normal growth and development. Although term infants are born with an important hepatic Zn(2+) storage, adequate Zn(2+) nutrition of infants mostly ...

I . Techniques for the preparation of a semi-synthetic basal diet suitable for the rapid production of zinc deficiency in the rat are described. The complete diet usually contains between 0.6 and 0.9 ppm Zn. 2. When the unsupplemented diet was fed to weanling rats, growth arrest occurred after 4-5 d ; when supplemented with ZnSO., to provide 12 or 20 ppm Zn, the rate of growth of rats was simil...

Zinc (Zn) is an important micronutrient that can alleviate cadmium (Cd) toxicity to plants and limit Cd entry into the food chain. However, little is known about the Zn-Cd interactions in pasture plants. We characterized the effects of foliar Zn application and Cd uptake by ryegrass (Lolium rigidum L.) and clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) grown on Cd-contaminated soils; all combinations of fo...

The long-term accumulation of Zn in soils provides the microbial community time to adapt to this heavy metal. To assess the effects of long-term exposure to Zn on the metabolic diversity and tolerance to Zn of soil microbial community, the pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) method, based on the Biolog microtitre plate system, was used. It especially is useful to study gradients of pol...

OBJECTIVE To determine if human Zn absorption adapts to chronic high Zn intakes. METHODS Zn absorption was measured at 0, 8, and 16 wk in healthy postmenopausal women who consumed controlled diets with approximately 5 mg Zn from food, supplemented to 14 (n = 6), 32 (n = 3), or 47 (n = 3) mg Zn/d for 22 wk. Zn absorption for 1 day was determined by (65)Zn-labeling of meals and whole body scint...

Worldwide, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and is the leading cause of female cancer deaths. Zinc (Zn) functions as an antioxidant and plays a role in maintaining genomic stability. Zn deficiency results in oxidative DNA damage and increased cancer risk. Studies suggest an inverse association between dietary and plasma Zn levels and the risk for developing breast...

Zinc (Zn) is essential for all life forms, including humans. It is estimated that around two billion people are deficient in their Zn intake. Human dietary Zn intake relies heavily on plants, which in many developing countries consists mainly of cereals. The inner part of cereal grain, the endosperm, is the part that is eaten after milling but contains only a quarter of the total grain Zn. Here...