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 .
Serum zinc levels in diabetic patients and effect of zinc supplementation on glycemic control of type 2 diabetics.
OBJECTIVE The present study is an attempt to assess serum zinc level in a sample of diabetic patients ( both type 1 and type 2 diabetics ) in comparison with those of apparently healthy controls , and to ascertain the relationship between the levels of serum zinc with some epidemiological variables . Furthermore , a trial of zinc supplementation for 3 months conducted to assess the effect of zinc supplementation on glycemic control of the studied type 2 diabetic patients , and the factors that affect the response to this supplementation . METHODS Collection of data was carried out during the period between November 2002 to February 2003 at the Diabetic Center of Merjan Teaching Hospital in Babil Governorate , Iraq . In the first part of the study ( a case-control study ) , the diabetic group included 133 diabetic patients ( type 1 and 2 ) who were chosen from patients attending the Diabetic Center during the period of the study . The control group included 133 apparently healthy subjects who were selected from the workers of the same hospital . Selection of cases and controls was carried out by using systematic r and om sampling procedure . In the second part of the study ( single blind were intervention study ) , type 2 diabetic patients ( 101 patients ) divided into 2 groups ; the first group included 50 patients supplemented with oral zinc sulfate ( 30 mg of elemental zinc/cap/day ) for 3 months and second group included 51 patients given placebo and design ed as control group . RESULTS The first part of the study shows that the mean value for serum zinc level was significantly lower in diabetic patients than healthy controls ( 64.2 + /- 12.6 microg/dl for type 1 diabetics , and 68.9 + /- 11.9 microg/dl for type 2 diabetics versus 83.4 + /- 12.5 microg/dl for healthy controls ) . Using simple linear regression , significant positive correlation was found between serum zinc level and years of education and significant negative correlation was found between serum zinc level and baseline HbA1c% value , in the diabetic group . While significant positive correlation found between serum zinc level and estimated zinc intake in the control group . Using multiple regression analysis , serum zinc level showed significant positive correlation with gender ( being a male compared with female ) , and estimated zinc intake and significant negative correlation with diabetes state ( diabetic compared with non-diabetic ) , residence ( urban compared with rural residents ) , and plant protein intake . The second part of the study shows that the mean value for HbA1c% concentration of the supplemented group decreased significantly at the end of the 3 months of follow up , while no significant changes were found in the mean value for HbA1c% of the control group . The present study showed that the change in HbA1c% after supplementation had significant negative correlation with baseline HbA1c% value . CONCLUSION Diabetic patients have significantly lower mean serum zinc levels compared with healthy controls . Zinc supplementation for type-2 diabetics has beneficial effects in elevating their serum zinc level , and in improving their glycemic control that is shown by decreasing their HbA1c% concentration
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 .