Zinc and mortality risk in the elderly:
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an aging change in the back of the eye that may lead to loss of the central vision. The study reports the beneficial effect of antioxidants (vitamin C, 500 mg; vitamin E, 400 IU; beta carotene, 15 mg; and zinc, 80 mg as zinc oxide with 2 mg of cupric oxide) on the risk of AMD progression among Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) participants. Investigators also examined the relationship between AMD, cataracts and mortality. During a median follow-up of 6.5 years, 11% or 534 participants had died. This marked an increased mortality risk among participants with advanced AMD. However, participants randomly assigned to receive 80 mg zinc with 2 mg cupric oxide, whether alone or combined with antioxidants, had lower mortality than those not taking the mineral. They report a 27% lower relative risk of mortality for zinc alone, and a 12% lower relative risk for those who took zinc combined with beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E. The beneficial effect of zinc on mortality was associated with less death from respiratory causes. (8). This study supports the findings of Meydani SM et al mentioned above.