Zinc deficiency linked to decreased immune function in mice.
The study looked at how different levels of zinc in the diet affect a substance called thymulin in mice. They split the mice into groups with low, normal, or high zinc levels, and found that low zinc led to lower thymulin levels. When zinc was added back to the diet, thymulin levels increased quickly. This shows that thymulin can be used to check if someone has enough zinc in their body.