A new systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials has found that zinc supplementation can improve insulin resistance and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in people with diabetes and related conditions. Notably, however, zinc did not significantly improve every measure of blood sugar control. Rather than this diminishing the importance of nutrition, the findings instead highlight a fundamental problem with the way nutritional therapies are often investigated: complex chronic diseases such as diabetes are unlikely to be optimally controlled by any single nutrient acting alone.
A chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways affecting both children and adults, asthma had an estimated 363 million sufferers worldwide in 2023. While conventional medicine has no cure for the condition, many patients have seen significant improvements through using science-based nutritional approaches. Providing further support for this promising therapeutic direction, a 2023 study has found low serum levels of zinc, selenium, and vitamin D3 in asthmatic children and confirmed that these insufficiencies are associated with airway inflammation and poor asthma control.
For decades, conventional medicine has largely regarded vitamin C primarily as the micronutrient that prevents scurvy. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology suggests that vitamin C may also help reduce cancer risk by inhibiting the formation of potentially carcinogenic compounds during digestion. The paper describes a proposed mechanism by which vitamin C can block the formation of these chemicals, highlighting a possible role beyond its well-established nutritional functions.
