Definition

Noun: A nutritional or medical condition resulting from insufficient zinc in the body. This inadequacy can stem from a diet lacking in zinc, or it can be caused by diseases that impair zinc absorption or metabolism, such as liver disease or cystic fibrosis.

Usage

This term is used in medical, nutritional, and public health contexts to describe a specific type of mineral deficiency. * Prolonged zinc deficiency can impair immune function and growth. * The doctor suspected zinc deficiency due to the patient's skin lesions and delayed wound healing. * Populations reliant on cereal-based diets may be at risk for zinc deficiency.

Advanced Usage

• Conditional State: Often discussed as a condition to be diagnosed, treated, or prevented.
  • Correcting the zinc deficiency led to a marked improvement in the child's appetite.
• Causal Relationship: Used to link the deficiency to specific symptoms or outcomes.
  • The study established a link between zinc deficiency and cognitive development in infants.

Variants and Related Words

• Zinc: (Noun) The essential trace mineral itself.
• Deficiency: (Noun) A general lack or shortage of something.
• Hypozincemia: (Noun) A medical term for a low concentration of zinc in the blood serum, which is a laboratory indicator of zinc deficiency.

Synonyms

• Zinc insufficiency

Related Phrases

• At risk of zinc deficiency: Describing a vulnerable population or individual.
  • Vegetarians are sometimes considered to be at risk of zinc deficiency.
• Symptom of zinc deficiency: Used to describe clinical signs.
  • Loss of taste can be a symptom of zinc deficiency.

Noun

1. a deficiency caused by inadequate zinc in the diet or by liver disease or cystic fibrosis or other diseases