In both in vivo and in vitro studies, zinc carnosine has shown promise in maintaining gut health and preventing gastric injury to the stomach and small intestine. In this study, 10 volunteers administered the NSAID drug indomethacin, which is known to cause stomach and small intestine damage (gut permeability), were also administered zinc carnosine to see if it could prevent the damage caused by indomethacin.
Indomethacin without zinc carnosine caused a threefold increase in gut permeability in the control arm; whereas no significant increase in gut permeability was seen when Zinc Carnosine was coadministered. Thus, zinc carnosine was protective of gut health and prevented the stomach and small intestine damage normally caused by the NSAID drug.
In conclusion, the researchers wrote:
Our studies have shown that Zinc Carnosine possesses biological activity when assessed using several models of gut integrity and repair, and in a clinical trial. Importantly, these effects were seen at concentrations likely to be found in participants taking the product as a health food supplement.