Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Serological Response to Vaccination Against Streptococcus Pneumoniae in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer.

What Was Tested

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

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on the antibody titer and the 23-valent pneumococcal seroconversion after vaccination in patients undergoing chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Why It Was Studied

The study included 25 patients undergoing postsurgery chemotherapy for colorectal adenocarcinoma (chemo group).

The antipneumococcal antibody titer against 6 polysaccharides was analyzed by ELISA and compared using linear mixed models.

Who Took Part

The study group was 25 patients.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Subjects were assessed in the perioperative period (prevaccination), before chemotherapy (4th wk) and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy (16th wk).

Thirty-two healthy volunteers (control group) were included in the study.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the patients nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

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

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Antibodies, Bacterial, Colorectal Neoplasms, Dietary Supplements, Healthy Volunteers, Pneumococcal Vaccines, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Vaccination.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 25 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.

The publication is from 2015 (Nutrition and cancer), a journal based in United States.

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