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Thinking Zinc: a Study of Zinc Supplements on the Navajo Nation

Thinking Zinc: A Study of Zinc Supplementation to Ameliorate Adverse Effects of Mine Waste Exposure on the Navajo Nation

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03908736
Enrollment
100
Registered
2019-04-09
Start date
2019-05-19
Completion date
2027-12-01
Last updated
2026-06-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

DNA Damage, Immune System Disorder

Brief summary

This is a study to assess the effect of dietary zinc supplementation to mitigate biomarkers of metal toxicity in exposed tribal populations.

Detailed description

Communities living in proximity to abandoned uranium mines have documented exposures to metals in drinking water, soil and dust. Exposure to these metals, principally uranium and arsenic, and metal mixtures is associated with dysregulation of immune function and other health effects. The objective of this study is to conduct an intervention trial to assess the effect of dietary zinc supplementation to mitigate the toxicity of metal exposures. The current project is part of a larger research effort funded by the NIH Superfund Program to study environmental metals exposures in tribal communities in New Mexico.

Interventions

DRUGZinc Picolinate 15 Mg

zinc picolinate, 15 mg/day for 6 months

Sponsors

University of New Mexico
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

This is a one-armed cohort intervention of zinc supplementation. Data will be collected for each participant before and after zinc supplementation.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 64 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Men or women between the ages of 21 and 64 years of age * Lives in or near the participating communities of Blue Gap-Tachee Arizona or Red Water Pond Road Community New Mexico * Willing to provide blood and urine samples * Willing to attend study visits on scheduled dates * Willing to take a daily zinc supplement

Exclusion criteria

* Women who are pregnant or nursing or women who plan to become pregnant during the course of the study. * Individuals who have self-reported diabetes, report that they are undergoing treatment for diabetes, or are currently taking medication for diabetes. * Known or suspected allergy to zinc. * Individuals previously diagnosed with syndromes of copper homeostasis (Menkes disease or Wilsons disease). * Individuals consuming zinc supplements or multivitamins and are unwilling to stop for the duration of the study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Metal biomonitoring to compare change from baseline versus zinc supplementVisit 1 (0 months-baseline 1), Visit 2 (3 months-baseline 2), Visit 3 (6 months-zinc 1), Visit 4 (9 months-zinc 2)urinary and serum metal levels to be measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Lymphocyte phenotyping to compare change from baseline versus zinc supplementVisit 1 (0 months-baseline 1), Visit 2 (3 months-baseline 2), Visit 3 (6 months-zinc 1), Visit 4 (9 months-zinc 2)Lymphocyte phenotypes will be measured in blood samples
Cytokine level measurement to compare change from baseline versus zinc supplementVisit 1 (0 months-baseline 1), Visit 2 (3 months-baseline 2), Visit 3 (6 months-zinc 1), Visit 4 (9 months-zinc 2)A cytokine panel will be used to measure levels of multiple cytokines in blood samples
Autoantibody measurement to compare change from baseline versus zinc supplementVisit 1 (0 months-baseline 1), Visit 2 (3 months-baseline 2), Visit 3 (6 months-zinc 1), Visit 4 (9 months-zinc 2)Autoantibody panel titers will be measured in blood samples

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
DNA damage assays to compare change from baseline versus zinc supplementVisit 1 (0 months-baseline 1), Visit 2 (3 months-baseline 2), Visit 3 (6 months-zinc 1), Visit 4 (9 months-zinc 2)DNA damage measurements in cells retrieved from blood samples
PARP activity assays to compare change from baseline versus zinc supplementVisit 1 (0 months-baseline 1), Visit 2 (3 months-baseline 2), Visit 3 (6 months-zinc 1), Visit 4 (9 months-zinc 2)Activity measurement of the DNA repair enzyme poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP)

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTLaurie G Hudson, PhD
lhudson@salud.unm.edu505-272-2482
CONTACTDebra MacKenzie, PhD
dmackenzie@salud.unm.edu505-272-6535

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 5, 2026