Studies have also shown a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressures after Zinc supplementation .
This first comprehensive systematic review and meta- analysis on the effects of Zinc supplementation in patients with diabetes demonstrates that Zinc supplementation  has beneficial effects on glycaemic control and promotes healthy lipid parameters .
The number of people with diabetes and pre-diabetes are exponentially increasing .
Studies on humans have shown the beneficial effects of Zinc supplementation in patients with diabetes .
The present study aims to systematic ally evaluate the literature and meta-analyze the effects of Zinc supplementation on diabetes .
Antioxidant Effects of Zinc Supplementation in Tunisians with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Objective : To determine the effects of zinc ( Zn ) supplementation on oxidative stress in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus ( type 2 DM ) . Design : Tunisian adult subjects with HbA1c > 7.5 % were supplemented for six months with 30 mg/day of Zn as Zn gluconate or placebo . The effects of supplementation on plasma zinc ( Zn ) , copper ( Cu ) , urinary Zn , plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances ( TBARS ) , Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase ( SOD ) and glutathione peroxidase activities ( GPX ) in red blood cells , blood lipids and lipoproteins , HbA1c and fasting glucose were measured at the beginning of the study and after three and six months . Results : At the beginning of the study , more than 30 % of the subjects exhibited plasma Zn values less than the normal minimum of 10.7 μmol/L , whereas levels of plasma Cu and antioxidant RBC Cu-Zn SOD and GPx enzyme activities were in the normal ranges . Oxidative stress , monitored by plasma TBARS , was increased in individuals with diabetes compared with healthy Tunisian subjects ( 3.32 ± 0.05 μmol/L vs. 2.08 ± 0.04 μmol/L ) and an inverse correlation was found between Zn plasma levels and plasma TBARS . After three and six months of Zn supplementation , all of the subjects exhibited plasma Zn values greater than 10.7 μmol/L. There was a decrease of plasma TBARS in Zn supplemented group after six months ( 15 % ) with no significant changes in the placebo group . Supplementation did not alter significantly HbA1c nor glucose homeostasis . No adverse effects of Zn supplementation were observed on Cu status or HDL cholesterol . Conclusions : These data suggest the potential beneficial antioxidant effects of Zn supplementation in persons with type 2 DM . These results are particularly important in light of the deleterious consequences of oxidative stress in persons with diabetes
Studies have also shown a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressures after Zinc supplementation .
This first comprehensive systematic review and meta- analysis on the effects of Zinc supplementation in patients with diabetes demonstrates that Zinc supplementation  has beneficial effects on glycaemic control and promotes healthy lipid parameters .
The number of people with diabetes and pre-diabetes are exponentially increasing .
Studies on humans have shown the beneficial effects of Zinc supplementation in patients with diabetes .
The present study aims to systematic ally evaluate the literature and meta-analyze the effects of Zinc supplementation on diabetes .