Determinants of serum zinc concentrations in a population of French middle-age subjects (SU.VI.MAX cohort) (original) (raw)

2010, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Background/Objectives: Few studies have been conducted on determinants of serum zinc concentration, especially in France. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between serum zinc concentrations, and age, education, living area and life style in a large sample cohort of French adults. Subjects/Methods: Blood samples were collected after 12h fasting in French adults (7448 women, 35-65-years-old and 4926 men, 45-65-years-old) participating to the SU.VI.MAX cohort at enrolment. Serum zinc was determined by flame atomic absorption. Results: Serum zinc concentration was lower in women (mean: 12.9 µmol/l, 95% confidence interval: 9.2-16.6 µmol/l) compared to men (mean: 13.4 µmol/l, 95% confidence interval: 9.7-17.1 µmol/l, p<0.0001). Ten percents of the women exhibited serum zinc values lesser than 10.7 µmol/l and 10% of the men exhibited serum zinc values lesser than 11.3 µmol/l. Age was negatively associated with serum zinc only in men (p=0.001). In women, a positive association between smoking and serum zinc concentration (p=0.0003), and a negative relationship between highest education level and serum zinc concentration (p=0.01) were observed. With regard to geographical areas, the highest serum zinc concentrations were found in the Centre, and the lowest in the Southwest of France for both men and women. The association between serum zinc concentrations and food categories or macro-nutrient intake disappeared after stratifying by gender. Conclusions: Age, gender, and geographic area seem the main determinants of serum zinc concentrations in this study.

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