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Maintaining normal zinc concentrations in the blood may help prevent pneumonia. A year long study was conducted by researchers at Tufts University involving nursing home residents. All the study participants received daily supplements containing 50 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of several vitamins and minerals, including zinc. Blood samples were taken from the residents at the start and conclusion of the one-year study.
Study participants with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations of the mineral.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found that people with normal zinc concentrations had a 39 percent lower rate of death from all causes.
Dr. Simin Meydani, director of the nutritional immunology laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University stated, “Not only did (people with lower zinc concentrations) have a higher risk of developing pneumonia, when they did become sick, they did not recover as quickly and required a longer course of antibiotics.”
Dr. Meydani recommended a clinical trial to further investigate zinc and its effect on pneumonia development and prevention in nursing homes.
My father who passed away on July 7, 2007, died in a nursing home from complications associated with pneumonia. Mother was deeply depressed after Father’s passing and died a year later.
A great source of zinc is eating oysters. Mother used to bread them and fry them up in a skillet. I really loved eating the fried oysters Mother cooked. Sometimes, she would give me a few extra off her plate, which I gladly accepted.
After graduating from college, I learned how to make an oyster stuffing during the holidays. Since I am on a low-carb diet, I no longer eat stuffing. But, for those who eat stuffing, this one is delicious and simple to make. The link for the recipe is given below:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3788-Norfolk-Nutrition-Examiner~y2009m12d6-Oyster-and-ritz-cracker-stuffing
Other sources of zinc:
Red meat, poultry, whole grains, beans and dairy products are examples of foods that provide zinc.
Sharon’s site: http://www.alligatorbait.weebly.com
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