Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center:Zinc
Zinc is an essential trace element for all forms of life. The significance of zinc in human nutrition and public health was recognized relatively recently. Clinical zinc deficiency in humans was first described in 1961, when the consumption of diets with low zinc bioavailability due to high phytic acid content (see
Food sources) was associated with "adolescent nutritional dwarfism" in the Middle East
(1). Since then, zinc insufficiency has been recognized by a number of experts as an important public health issue, especially in developing countries
(2).