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The following study is fairly profound in its implications.
Chronic alcohol abuse causes an inflammatory response in the liver. Unless controlled, this inflammation results in cirrhosis and eventually liver cancer.
The following study shows that zinc supplements completely control the liver inflammation caused by chronic daily feeding of alcohol to mice.
After six months of daily alcohol exposure, the mice were give oral doses of zinc sulfate, a soluble form of zinc. The effects were dramatic.
Alcohol induces oxidative stress which increases the synthesis and release of proinflammatory hormones such as TNF, tumor necrosis factor, and its receptor TNF-R1. It also increases the synthesis and release of FAS ligand and its receptor FAS. These hormones cause apoptosis (programmed cell death) and necrosis in liver cells. When zinc is administered with the alcohol, the expression of these receptors is down regulated. I knew that zinc was anti-inflammatory, but I had NO idea that it this anti-inflammatory. In researching this topic, I found that a protein called A20 is a natural inhibitor of NF-kappaB, the genetic factor that promotes the synthesis of almost all inflammatory genes. This protein binds 7 zinc molecules which are responsible for its activity.
The daily dose is 50 mgs of elemental zinc. If you have a zinc capsule that contains 220 mgs of product, such as zinc sulfate, 45-50 mgs will be zinc. I capsule a day and you don't have to stop drinking. The bottle should tell you how much actual zinc is in each capsule.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
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