{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T05:54:51Z","timestamp":1790747691730,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Low serum zinc is associated with higher pneumonia incidence and illness duration compared to individuals with adequate serum zinc levels. However, the optimal and safe zinc supplementation dose to correct deficiency has not been established. This study aimed to determine the optimal and safe dose of elemental zinc supplementation to correct deficiency in older adults residing in nursing homes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Methods: We conducted a 12-month randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial in zinc-deficient nursing home residents, comparing supplementation of 30 and 60\u202fmg\/day elemental zinc versus placebo on zinc status and potential adverse effects (n\u202f=\u202f26-35\/group).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Both the 30 and 60\u202fmg\/day groups significantly increased serum zinc levels compared to placebo (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). All participants in the 60\u202fmg\/day group reached the target threshold (&amp;gt; 70\u202f\u03bcg\/dL), with 100% achieving zinc adequacy by month 8. In contrast, only 46.4% (13 of 28) of participants in the 30\u202fmg\/day group reached this threshold, with the proportion plateauing at month 8. No participant in the placebo group reached zinc adequacy. No impact on copper status was detected. Although not powered for clinical outcomes, exploratory analyses showed participants in the placebo group reported significantly more coughing episodes, fevers, and chills throughout the study compared to those in 30 and 60\u202fmg\/d supplemented groups.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In zinc deficient older adults, 60\u202fmg\/day of elemental zinc effectively corrected deficiency with no adverse effects. These findings inform the dosing protocol for a fully powered randomized trial testing the effect of zinc supplementation on pneumonia incidence and outcomes in this population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Clinical trial registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:ext-link>https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/<\/jats:ext-link>\n                      , identifier NCT05527899.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1935770","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T04:56:41Z","timestamp":1790744201000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Correcting zinc deficiency in nursing home residents: a randomized trial comparing 30 and 60\u202fmg\/day elemental zinc supplementation"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Edwin F.","family":"Ortega","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco","place":["San Francisco, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jonathan H.","family":"Yao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Translational Immunogenomics Laboratory, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weimin","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah K.","family":"Boehm","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Ergil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dayong","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simin N.","family":"Meydani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexander","family":"Panda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tufts University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"763","DOI":"10.2217\/ahe.09.74","article-title":"Community-acquired pneumonia in elderly patients","volume":"5","author":"Stupka","year":"2009","journal-title":"Aging Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-020-1457-8","article-title":"Risk factors for pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations in long-term care facility residents: a retrospective cohort study","volume":"20","author":"Moyo","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1097\/MCO.0000000000000130","article-title":"Malnutrition in the nursing home","volume":"18","author":"Bell","year":"2015","journal-title":"Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab 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