ReviewInternational journal of environmental research and public health2010
The essential toxin: impact of zinc on human health.
Review in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 415 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Relationship of Whole Blood Zinc Levels to Acne Severity Among Filipinos 18-25 Years Old: A Cross-sectional Comparative Study
Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Occurrence of Infections in Older Medical Patients (ZOOM) - a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (ZOOM OUT).
Who cites it
415 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,536 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of topical application of zinc compounds for oral mucosal diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicina oral, patologia oral y cirugia bucal · 2026Pooled it
- ZnO-Based Nanoparticles for Targeted Cancer Chemotherapy and the Role of Tumor Microenvironment: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- The Dual Edge of zinc: linking excessive intake to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular risks.Acta biochimica Polonica · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of Zinc Supplementation in the Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- The Role of Selected Trace Elements in Oxidoreductive Homeostasis in Patients with Thyroid Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Serum/Plasma Zinc Is Apparently Increased in Ischemic Stroke: a Meta-analysis.Biological trace element research · 2022Pooled it
- Outdoor Air Pollution, Perivascular Space Morphology, and Cognition in Preadolescence.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Article
- The zinc contraceptive effect: targets, timing, and quantitative thresholds.Biology open · 2026Article
- The effects of nanoplastics on toxicity of metals and metal nanoparticles: molecular mechanisms and health effects.Archives of toxicology · 2026Review
- Zinc regulates the balance of specific gut microbiota through MTF1/Nrf2 and mitigates ferroptosis through activation of PINK1/Parkin/mitophagy via the gut-kidney axis in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury in pregnant mice.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2026Article
- Trace Element Content in Fingernails of Vietnamese Men with Laryngeal Cancer: Cumulative Exposure Assessment.Biological trace element research · 2026Article
- Effect of Metal Cations on Selenite Bioreduction by a Consortium of Halophilic/Halotolerant Bacteria and/or Yeast.Environmental microbiology reports · 2026Article
- Complexes of Zinc(II) Chloride withPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Evaluating the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of ZnO nanoparticles as selective anticancer agents for lung malignancies.Discover nano · 2026Review
- An Mg Solid Solution Affords a Less Toxic and More Stable ZIF‑8.ACS omega · 2026Article
- Approximate size and preliminary composition of the low-mass zinc pool in the cytosol of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Article
- Mineral and heavy metal content in canned tuna: Implications for veterinary public health and consumer safety.Veterinary research communications · 2026Article
- Cumulative Soil Metal Contamination Reshapes Oxidative and Neuroenzymatic Stress Responses in Ants Across an Industrial Pollution Gradient.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Confined in Chitosan for In Vivo Cesium Ion Removal.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Genetic Polymorphisms and Antioxidant Reactions in Prostate Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
355 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Compared to several other metal ions with similar chemical properties, zinc is relatively harmless. Only exposure to high doses has toxic effects, making acute zinc intoxication a rare event. In addition to acute intoxication, long-term, high-dose zinc supplementation interferes with the uptake of copper. Hence, many of its toxic effects are in fact due to copper deficiency. While systemic homeostasis and efficient regulatory mechanisms on the cellular level generally prevent the uptake of cytotoxic doses of exogenous zinc, endogenous zinc plays a significant role in cytotoxic events in single cells. Here, zinc influences apoptosis by acting on several molecular regulators of programmed cell death, including caspases and proteins from the Bcl and Bax families. One organ where zinc is prominently involved in cell death is the brain, and cytotoxicity in consequence of ischemia or trauma involves the accumulation of free zinc. Rather than being a toxic metal ion, zinc is an essential trace element. Whereas intoxication by excessive exposure is rare, zinc deficiency is widespread and has a detrimental impact on growth, neuronal development, and immunity, and in severe cases its consequences are lethal. Zinc deficiency caused by malnutrition and foods with low bioavailability, aging, certain diseases, or deregulated homeostasis is a far more common risk to human health than intoxication.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.