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Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 16, 2019
The role of zinc in human health
Reina Rosas-Romero1, Alfredo Covarrubias-Gómez2
1Secretaría de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos.
Abstract:
El zinc (Zn) es un oligoelemento esencial para muchas funciones biológicas, que incluyen desde la mineralización ósea hasta la transcripción genómica. El déficit en la ingesta de Zn produce alteraciones que en conjunto se han denominado síndrome de deficiencia de Zn. La ingesta diaria recomendada presenta un rango de 7.5 a 15 mg/día para hombres adultos y de 5.5 a 12 mg/día para mujeres adultas. En México, el déficit de Zn es un problema de salud pública, pues afecta a cerca de un cuarto de la población pediátrica nacional. Este documento presenta al lector una mirada global y regional sobre el problema que se aborda, y destaca la necesidad de generar líneas de investigación que aporten mayor información sobre el impacto de este micronutriente en la población mexicana.
Abstract:
Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element for many biological functions including bone mineralization and genomic transcription, among others. The set of clinical manifestations deriving from the deficiency of Zn intake are known as Zn deficit syndrome. Zn recommended dietary allowances ranges from 7.5 to 15 mg/day in adult man, and from 5.5 to 12 mg/day in adult females. In Mexico, the deficit of Zn is a public health problem affecting nearly a quarter of pediatric population. This document presents a global and regional overview of this problem, highlighting the need of further research related to the importance of this micronutrient in Mexican population.
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