Original Communication
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005) 59, Suppl 2, S73–S78. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602303
The relationship between the zinc nutritive status and biochemical markers of bone turnover in older European adults: the ZENITH study
Guarantor: KD Cashman.
Contributors: TH contributed to the analysis and writing of the study. NM, MA-S, DC, IH-F, AP, JMOC, CC and KDC contributed to design, execution, analysis and writing of the study. CC is the ZENITH project coordinator. All authors read and contributed to the finalisation of the manuscript.
T Hill1, N Meunier2, M Andriollo-Sanchez3, D Ciarapica4, I Hininger-Favier3, A Polito4, J M O'Connor5, C Coudray2 and K D Cashman1,6
- 1Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland
- 2Centre de recherche en Nutrition Humaine d'Auvergne (CRNH), Unité Maladies Métaboliques et Micronutriments, INRA, Centre de Recherche de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, St Genès-Champanelle, France
- 3Laboratoire de Nutrition Vieillissement et Maladies Cardiovasculaires, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Joseph Fourier, Domaine de la Merci, La Tronche, France
- 4National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research, Human Nutrition Unit, Rome, Italy
- 5Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), Biomedical Science, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Co Derry, Northern Ireland
- 6Department of Medicine, University College, Cork, Ireland
Correspondence: KD Cashman, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland. E-mail: k.cashman@ucc.ie
Abstract
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between indices of zinc nutritive status and biochemical markers of bone turnover in older adult European subjects.
Design:
Use of baseline data from a multicentre prospective zinc intervention (ZENITH) study.
Setting:
Centres in France, Italy and Northern Ireland.
Participants:
A total of 387 healthy adults, aged 55–87 y.
Methods:
Zinc intake was assessed by 4-day recall records. Circulating and urinary biochemical zinc status measures were assessed by atomic absorption spectrophometry. Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin were assessed by ELISA and urinary pyridinoline (Pyr) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) by HPLC.
Results:
Zinc intake was negatively correlated with urinary Pyr and Dpyr (r=-0.298 and -0.304, respectively; P<0.0001), but was not correlated with bone formation markers. There was a tendency for serum zinc to be negatively correlated with urinary Dpyr (r=-0.211; P=0.080). Erythrocyte zinc was negatively correlated with serum osteocalcin (r=-0.090; P<0.0001). None of the other correlations were significant. After adjustment for confounder (age, gender and research centre) the only significant association that remained was between serum osteocalcin and erythrocyte zinc (
=-0.124; P=0.011).
Conclusions:
There was some, albeit inconsistent, evidence of a relationship between zinc nutritive status and bone turnover in the older adult participants of the ZENITH study.
Sponsorship:
ZENITH is supported by the European Commission 'Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources' Fifth Framework Programme, Contract No: QLK1-CT-2001-00168.
Keywords:
zinc, intake and status, bone turnover
