Human organism contents about 3 mg of zinc, 60% of which is in muscle and 30% in bones. Zinc is mainly intracellular component essential for normal cellular and proliferative functions and influences more than 230 human biochemical reactions and physiological systems. Effects of severe zinc deficiency are well known (teratogenesis, childhood growth retardation, hypogonadism, infertility, changed immune functions, hormonal and mental retardation, neuropsychiatric defects, anorexia, nocturnal perception defects, decreased wound healing, dermatological diseases, diarrhoea, or anaemia are some of them). But, also marginal to mild deficiency may have deleterious consequences under some conditions like pregnancy, renal or hepatic insufficiency, alcoholism, concurrent deficiency of other essential trace element like selenium.
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