the zinc, copper, and selenium status of a selected sample od canadian elderly women

8/11/2019 The Zinc, Copper, And Selenium Status of a Selected Sample Od Canadian Elderly Women

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TRACE ELEMENT STATUS OE ELDERLY WOMEN

297

tes mellitus and marked obesity (defined as weight

for age above the 90th percentile, Health & Welfare

Canada, 1980) were excluded from the study. The

study protocol was approved by the Human Ethics

Committee of the University of Guelph. Consent

was obtained from the participants after the nature

of the study had been fully explained to them.

Prior to retirement, 63% of the women were

employed outside of the home. Of these 65% were

in full time employm ent and 26% w orked part time.

The remainder (37%) described themselves as

homem akers. Of those who had been employed full

time,

40% were employed as university professors

or in health-related jobs (nurses, dietician s, labora-

tory technicians, or nurse's assistants). The others

had been in positions that included administrators,

teachers, secretaries, and sales clerks.

The socioeconomic index (SEI) of the women

was determined from the husband's occupation ac-

cording to the scale of Blishen and McRoberts

(1976). In the case of the unmarried women n =

11),

the SEI was determined from their occupation,

using the same scale. The SEI values ranged from 2

to 7 with a mean index of 5.8; 75% of the women

had a SEI greater than 4.

Sixty percent of the women were taking medica-

tions.

The major groups of medications used were

antiinflammatories, diuretics, antihypertensives,

and hormones. Iron supplements were taken by 7%

of the women, and zinc and selenium by 6% and

1%, respectively.

Procedures. Fasting blood samples were

drawn via peripheral venipuncture from the women

in the recumbent position, using trace-element-free

vacutainers (Becton and Dickinson). The serum

was separated by procedures designed to minimize

risks of contamination and then stored at -20 C in

trace-element-free polypropylene containers

(Sarstedt). Any serum samples showing visible

signs of hemolysis were not analyzed for zinc. Se-

rum zinc and copper analyses were performed via

flame (Fuwa et al., 1964) and flameless (Evenson

& Warren, 1975) atomic absorption procedures,

respectively. Serum albumin concentrations were

also determined using the method of Rodky (1965).

Enzymatic colorimetric methods (Boehringer

Mannheim Kits) were used for serum total choles-

terol (Roschlau et al., 1974) and high density lipo-

protein cholesterol (HDL) (Burstein et al., 1970).

Serum selenium was analyzed by instrumental

neutron activation analysis (INAA). Samples were

irradiated in the McMaster University Nuclear Re-

actor for 7 s at a thermal neutron flux of 5 x 10

i:

neutrons cm

2

sec

1

. After a 5s decay period, the

selenium content of the samples was estimated by

measuring the activity of

75

Seusing a Ge(Li) detec-

tor (relative efficiency 8.5% ; active volume 45 ccs)

coupled to a multichannel analyzer (Can berra). The

area ofthe 156 keV photopeak from

75

Se was calcu-

lated. The accuracy of this INAA method for sele-

nium was checked by analyzing the selenium con-

tent of three replicates of National Bureau of Stand-

ards Oyster (NBS No. 1566). The mean ( SD )

value was 2.1 0.2 /xg/g compared with a cer-

tified value of 2.1 .5 /ag/g.

The hair samples were cut from the occipital

portion of the scalp using teflon-coated scissors.

Only the proximal to 2 cm portions of hair, repre-

senting newly grown hair, were washed by a non-

ionic detergent procedure and analyzed for zinc and

copper by an INAA method, described previously

(Gibson & DeW olfe, 1979). For the hair selenium

analysis, the washed hair samples were irradiated

in acid-washed trace-element-free polypropylene

vials (Sarstedt) and irradiated, together with stand-

ard reference materials and fluxmonitors, for 72

hours in the McMaster N uclear Reactor at a thermal

neutron flux of5 x 10

13

neutrons cm

2

se c

1

. After 6

to 8 weeks, which allowed for the decay of short-

lived isotopes, principally

24

Na, the hair samples

were dissolved in concentrated nitric acid, removed

from the vials, and counted on a Ge(Li) detector

(10%

relative efficiency and 50 cc active volume),

coupled to a microcomputer configured as a multi-

channel analyzer, for 12 to 24 hours, depending on

the size of the sample. Flux monitors were also

counted and flux corrections, as well as half-life

corrections, applied to the net peak areas. Results

were calculated in terms of fJLg/g. The accuracy of

the INNA method for selenium was studied by

analyzing three replicates of Unalloyed Copper- Cu

II (NBS No. 395). The mean ( SD ) value was

0.60 0.02 fxg/g Se compared with the certified

value 0.60 0.05 /Ltg/g.

Dietary zinc, copper, and selenium intakes were

assessed by chemical analysis of 24-hour duplicate

diet composites, collected by the women following

procedures described previously (Gibson &

Scythes, 1982, 1984). In addition, the women

completed dietary records for 3 consecutive week-

days,

recording all foods and beverages consumed

(including drinking water) in household measures.

One of the record days included the diet composite

day. Participants also provided recipes for all pre-

pared food items. Mean energy, protein, and total

dietary fiber, copper, and zinc intakes were calcu-

lated from the 3-day records using food composi-


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298

GIBSON MARTINEZ, AND MACDONALD

tion tables and literature values, as reported earlier

(Gibson & Scythes, 1982).

Hair trace element concentrations are not usually

normally distributed; thus nonparametric statistics

employing ranks w ere used, the m edian being used

to indicate central tendency. Spearman's rank-

order correlation coefficients were calculated to as-

sess the relationship of hair, serum, and trace ele-

ment intake levels. Analyzed dietary zinc and

copper intakes were compared with those calcu-

lated from the corresponding record day and with

the mean intakes calculated from the 3-day records

using Spearman rank-order correlation coef-

ficients.

RESULTS

Table 1 presents the mean serum zinc, m ean

analyzed zinc intake, and median hair zinc concen-

trations for the study group.

Only 5% of the women had hair zinc values

below 100 /u,g/g, and of these 4% were below 70

/u,g/g, the level suggestive of suboptima l zinc status

(Hambidge et al., 1972). None of the women had

low serum zinc levels (i.e., below 70 yitg/dl) (Ham-

bidge et al., 1976). Serum albumin concentrations

M = 4.2 0.4 g/dl) were all above 3.2 g/dl.

Figure 1 gives the frequency distributio n of the

zinc intakes determined by analysis of the 1-day

duplicate diets. The mean analyzed zinc intake (7.6

mg/d) was very close to the Canadian Recom-

mended Nutrient Intake (RNI) (Health & Welfare

Canada, 1983) for zinc (8mg) but below the U.S.

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for zinc

of 15 mg (National Research Council, 1980). As

determined by analysis of the 1-day duplicate diets,

20%

of the women had zinc intakes below two-

thirds of the Canadian RNI; 78% had zinc intakes

below two-thirds the U.S. RDA.

Table 2 presents the average daily energy, total

dietary fiber, protein, zinc, and copper intakes cal-

Table 1. Zinc, Selenium, and Copper Concentrations of

Hair, Serum and Duplicate Diets from 90 Elderly

Canadian Women

Trace

element

Zinc

Selenium

Copper

Hair (Mg/g)

(median)

155

(131-183)

0.63

(0.71-0.50)

12.8

(10.8-16.0)

Serum

(Mg/ml)

m SD)

1.09 0.13

0.115 0.03

1.22 0.29

Diet (mg/day)

M SD)

7.6 3.3

.078 .045

1.2 0.6

culated from the 3-day dietary record data using

food composition data (Gibson& Scythes, 1982).

The mean calculated daily zinc intake was above

the Canadian RNI. The mean calculated zinc in-

takes showed 5% of

the

women below two-thirds of

the Canadian RNI; 50% were below two-thirds of

the U.S. R DA.

Selenium status. The data for the selenium

status of the women are also given in Table 1.

40

35

30

in

s

u

b

j

e

c

t

r

o

O

20

O *

u

z

15

10

5

n

-

-

-

-

x = 7.6

SD = 3.3

Median = 7.2

l l

3 6 9 12 15 18 21

Zinc intake mg/day)

Figure 1. Distribution of zinc intakes analyzed from 24-hour

duplicate diets from 90 elderly Canadian women.

Table 2. Mean Daily Energy, Protein, Zinc, Copper

and Total Dietary Fiber Intakes Calculated from 3-Day

Records

Intake

SD

25 to 75th quartiles

Energy (Kcal)

Energy (Kj)

Protein (g)

Zinc (mg)

Copper (mg)

Dietary fiber (g)

1596

6651

67 2

1 1

1 6

21 4

446

1859

19

3 5

7

7 9


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TRACE ELEMENT STATUS OF ELDERLY WOMEN

299

Serum selenium concentrations ranged from 0.05

to 0.18 /ig/ml; 26% of the women had serum sele-

nium levels below 0.10 /Ag/ml.

The mean analyzed selenium intake fell within

the U.S. National Research Council, (1980) ade-

quate and safe range for selenium (50 to 200 fig/

day) (Figure 2). There is no Canadian RNI for

selenium. Based on analysis of 1-day duplicate di-

ets, 21% of the women had analyzed dietary sele-

nium intakes below the lower limit of the RDA safe

and adequate range (50fig)and 2% above the upper

limit of 200

xg

per day. At the present time it is not

possible to reliably calculate selenium dietary in-

takes for Canadians from food composition data;

thus the average dietary selenium intake and major

food sources of selenium could not be assessed

from the 3-day dietary records. Instead, differences

in the macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral content,

as well as differences in the major food consump-

tion patterns of women with high and low selenium

density diets, were assessed using the Wilcoxon

two-sample rank sum test, by a method adapted

from Welsh et al. (1981). Women with high sele-

35

30

25

A

.* 20

n

o 15

o

10

5

n

X =

SD =

Median =

77.6

44.5

69.6

40 80 120 160 200 240 280

Selenium intake

nium density diets had higher p


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TRACE ELEMENT STATUS OF ELDERLY WOMEN

3 1

tention to the possible importance of zinc nutriture

per se in relation to cardiovascular health in

humans.

Coronary heart disease has been postulated to be

predominantly a disease of metabolic imbalance in

zinc and copper metabolism, characterized by a

high zinc to copper ratio (Klevay, 1980). In the

study reported here, serum total cholesterol levels

were not related to zinc or copper levels in either

serum, hair, or diet. Likewise Fischer et al. (1980)

did not find that serum cholesterol levels were af-

fected when rats were fed dietary zinc and copper

ratios over the range found in the diets of

this

study.

Both the serum, hair, and dietary copper levels

were within the range noted by others for elderly

adults (Gibson et al., 1983; Health & Welfare Can-

ada, 1981).

The elderly women in this study appeared to

have adequate selenium status as indicated by se-

rum and hair selenium levels. This is not surprising

because, in general, the analyzed selenium intakes

fell within the U.S. National Research Council

(1980) adequate and safe range.

The serum selenium values were comparable to

the plasma levels reported by Lane et al. (1983) for

their U.S. free-living elderly adults. Serum sele-

nium, a measure of short-term selenium status, did

not correlate with dietary or hair selenium levels.

This is a finding noted by other investigators (Lane

et al. , 1983; Thimaya & Ganapathy , 1982). The

hair selenium values also fell within the range noted

by others for healthy U.S. adults of comparable

ages (Thimaya & Ganapathy, 1982). A significant

relationship between hair and serum selenium con-

tent has been demonstrated only in residents of

China from both affected and unaffected Keshan

disease areas (Chen et al., 1980).

The range of analyzed selenium intakes (Figure

2) was very comparable to those reported earlier for

(a) a group of Canadian premenopausal women

from the same university community (Gibson &

Scythes, 1984), (b) analyzed values for

U.S.

Mary-

land diets (Welsh et al., 1981), and (c) U.S . adults

60 years and older (Thimaya & Ganapathy , 1982).

In contrast, the free-living elderly adults studied by

Lane et al. (1983) had a higher mean selenium

intake (94 43 /u-g/day).

The relationships between selenium and energy

and fat intakes, noted in the high and low selenium

density diets, are consistent with the findings of

others (Gibson & Scythes, 1984; Lane et al.,

1983). On the other hand, cereal and potato con-

sumption did not show the same trend here as noted

in the earlier study (Gibson & Scythes, 1984). In-

stead, intakes of fish and beef were significantly

higher in those individuals with high selenium den-

sity diets.

In summary, the zinc, copper and selenium sta-

tus of the elderly women in this study, as indicated

by dietary and biochemical data, appeared ade-

quate. These trends were related to the relatively

high socioeconom ic status of the participants of this

study and is consistent with the findings of several

national nutrition surveys (Health & Welfare Can-

ada 1975) that suggest that nutritional adequacy of

the diet is highly related to socioeconomic status.

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the zinc, copper, and selenium status of a selected sample od canadian elderly women

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