MUC5AC and Zinc deficiency: Furthermore, Phocaeicola vulgatus, Bacteroidetes uniformis, Roseburia intestinalis, and other mucin-degrading flora were more abundant in zinc-deficient children, and higher levels of taurocholic acid and saccharin associated with intestinal barrier damage may ultimately lead to intestinal barrier damage and an intestinal pro-inflammatory response, subsequently leading to the malabsorption of nutrients and further exacerbating the zinc deficiency in the body.