After iron, zinc is the most abundant trace element in the body. Zinc is found bound to proteins in a variety of foods. Red meat, fish, and wheat germ are good sources of dietary zinc. There are over 350 metalloenzymes that utilize zinc as a cofactor. Some examples include alkaline phosphatase, DNA polymerase, carbonic anhydrase, and alcohol dehydrogenase.
Zinc is essential for protein and nucleic acid synthesis, which can be easily seen in the fact that those deficient in zinc exhibit poor wound healing and lack of anabolic growth.
Absorption and Transport:
About 20-50% of zinc is absorbed in the gut. Absorption rates depend on nutritional status; those deficient in zinc have great absorption efficiency. Iron competes with zinc absorption as does copper. About 80% of plasma zinc is found to be bound to albumin. The remainder is associated with alpha-2-macroglobulin.
