Low Levels Of This Immune Nutrient Linked To A Dangerous Complication Of Diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes, you're probably used to keeping tabs on your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. But there's another number that rarely comes up at a routine diabetes visit: your zinc level.
Zinc is a mineral that helps your immune system function properly, including supporting the cells that identify and respond to infections.
Now, researchers are exploring whether having too little of it may matter in a more specific situation: what happens when an infection becomes severe. A recent study1 looked at zinc levels and sepsis risk in thousands of people with type 2 diabetes, a group that already has a higher risk of serious infections.
About the study
The researchers wanted to know whether low zinc was associated with sepsis specifically, rather than simply with a greater chance of developing an infection.
To investigate, they analyzed electronic health records from a global research network covering more than 100 healthcare organizations. The study included adults with type 2 diabetes who had their zinc levels measured between 2010 and 2024. Researchers matched nearly 10,000 people with low zinc levels with nearly 10,000 people who had normal levels.
They accounted for differences in other health factors and then followed the groups for five years, tracking sepsis, severe sepsis, bloodstream infections, and other infections.
Low zinc was linked to a higher risk of sepsis
Over the five-year follow-up, people with low zinc levels had a 37% higher risk of developing sepsis than those with normal zinc levels.
The association was stronger among people with severe zinc deficiency. Their risk of sepsis was nearly twice as high as the risk among people with normal zinc levels.
The researchers also looked at infections that did not develop into sepsis, including pneumonia and urinary tract infections. Low zinc was much less strongly associated with these infections than it was with sepsis.
In other words, the link wasn't as strong for whether someone developed an infection in the first place. It was more closely tied to whether an infection progressed to sepsis.
Why this could matter for people with type 2 diabetes
Sepsis happens when the body's response to an infection becomes dysregulated and triggers widespread inflammation, which can damage organs.
People with type 2 diabetes are already more vulnerable to infections because persistently high blood sugar can interfere with immune function. Diabetes is also associated with slower wound healing.
Zinc could potentially add another piece to that picture. Because it helps regulate immune activity and inflammation, having too little may affect how the body responds when an infection becomes serious.
That said, this study found an association, not proof that zinc deficiency causes sepsis. More research is needed to understand whether improving zinc status could actually reduce the risk.
What to do with this information
There's no need to panic about your zinc level or automatically start taking a supplement. Instead, consider these practical steps:
- Ask about your zinc status: If you have type 2 diabetes, ask your health care provider whether zinc is worth adding to your routine bloodwork, particularly if you have other reasons to suspect a deficiency.
- Get zinc from food: Oysters, red meat, poultry, legumes, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds are all zinc-rich foods worth working into your meals.
- Keep the bigger picture in mind: Staying on top of blood sugar management and routine diabetes care remains important for supporting immune health and reducing infection-related complications.
The takeaway
Low zinc was associated with a higher risk of sepsis in people with type 2 diabetes, especially among those with severe deficiency.
The finding doesn't prove that low zinc causes sepsis, but it gives clinicians another potential factor to consider when thinking about immune health in diabetes.