Zinc associated with decreased risk of death from prostate cancer

A Swedish study examined the diets of 525 men under the age of 80 with a diagnosis of prostate cancer made between January 1989 and July 1994. At the start of the study, subjects were questioned about their diet, including intake of calories, iron and zinc. They were monitored until February 2009 and the causes of all deaths during this period were noted.
Over the study period - an average 6.4 years - there were 475 deaths, of which 218 were from prostate cancer. It was found that subjects with the highest zinc intake had a 36% lower risk of death from prostate cancer than those with the lowest zinc intake.
This research supports earlier findings on the protective benefits of zinc for prostate cancer. The researchers emphasized that zinc is involved in a number of cell functions including maintaining a healthy immune system and DNA repair.
(Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2011 Jan. 12 [Epub ahead of print] )