Oral zinc supplementation does not improve oxidative stress or vascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes with normal zinc levels.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, published as a randomized controlled trial.

There is considerable controversy about what constitutes optimal zinc intakes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The researchers aimed to assess the effects of zinc supplementation using a range of reliable biomarkers of oxidative damage and vascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Who Took Part

The study group was 2 patients.

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults and older adults, men only.

Blood and spot urine samples were taken at baseline, days 3 and 7, months 1, 2 and 3 during supplementation and 1 month after cessation.

Serum zinc, reliable biomarkers of oxidative damage (F(2)-isoprostanes, neuroprostanes, cholesterol oxidation products, allantoin) as well as hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid products and vascular-related indices (augmentation index, pulse wave velocity and aortic pressure) were measured.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc could be set against what happens without it.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Allantoin, Cholesterol, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Dietary Supplements, F2-Isoprostanes, Oxidative Stress and Zinc.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 2 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 2 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2011 (Atherosclerosis), a journal based in Ireland.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.