Gastroenterology
Volume 137, Issue 5, Supplement , Pages S7-S12, November 2009

Zinc: An Essential Trace Element for Parenteral Nutrition

  • Khursheed Jeejeebhoy

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests Address requests for reprints to: Khursheed Jeejeebhoy, MD, FRCP(c), PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, S-4646 Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 5S4

Department of Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Received 22 May 2009; accepted 12 August 2009.

Zinc is an essential trace element for human nutrition that is an integral part of many enzyme systems, including DNA polymerase complex. Zinc deficiency has been associated with stunting of growth and sexual immaturity. In children, deficiency causes a fatal condition called acrodermatitis enteropathica. The same syndrome has been observed in patients on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) who do not receive zinc. In TPN the requirements have been estimated by balance studies to be 3 mg/d in patients without gastrointestinal losses and a mean of 12 mg/d in patients with diarrhea and fistula losses.

Abbreviations used in this paper: NPO, Nil Per Os, PN, parenteral nutrition, TPN, total parenteral nutrition

 

 Conflicts of interest The author discloses no conflicts.

PII: S0016-5085(09)01452-8

doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2009.08.014

Gastroenterology
Volume 137, Issue 5, Supplement , Pages S7-S12, November 2009

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