Zinc is one of the body's main trace elements, with catalytic, structural and regulatory roles. Zinc performs many essential metabolic functions in the human body as a structural or functional part of about 300 enzymes affecting basic life processes. It is involved in the metabolism of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. It is essential for cell division and differentiation of emerging cells, and is involved in the metabolism of nucleic acids, RNA and DNA biosynthesis and protein biosynthesis. Zinc plays an important role in the regulation of immune system processes and should therefore be used especially in the elderly or those at risk of disease.