Zinc and its role in vitamin D function

Abstract

Zinc is an essential mineral with an important relationship with vitamin D. Studies have found that reduced blood zinc levels could predict vitamin D deficiency in adolescent girls, while zinc supplementation increased vitamin D levels in postmenopausal women. In vitro studies using human peritoneal macrophages have found that zinc induced the release of calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol). Zinc also acts as a cofactor for vitamin D functions, as the transcriptional activity of vitamin D-dependent genes relies on zinc to exert pleiotropic functions, including mineral ion regulation. Vitamin D could also induce zinc transporters to regulate zinc homeostasis. Together, zinc and vitamin D in adequate concentrations help maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system and beyond; however, deficiency in either of these nutrients can result in various disorders affecting almost all body systems. This brief article will focus on the role of zinc in vitamin D functions.

Keywords: Deficiency; Interactions; Sources; Vitamin D; Zinc.

Fig. 1

The zinc deficiency is widespread and can affect the functionality of various systems of the body.

Fig. 2

Zinc and vitamin D interactions. This figure shows how vitamin D can induce zinc transporter protein (ZnT10) to regulate zinc homeostasis (Claro da Silva et al., 2016).