Zinc and the Immune System

At any given time the human body should contain 2-3 grams of zinc which is involved in the activity of at least 300 enzymes. According to a paper published in the Journal Immunity and Aging, one critical function of zinc is maintenance of the immune system during aging.

Reviewing a slew of epidemiological studies concerning zinc consumption in the aged the study reports:

Zinc ions are indispensable for immune function, especially for T cell mediated events, which are primarily affected in immunosenescence.
However, the study also cautions that zinc supplementation should be moderate to avoid problems with zinc toxicity that includes the creation of toxic free radicals. Zinc is best consumed from natural foods high in zinc.