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

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 1057–1064 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

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 12-h fasting in French adults (7448 women, 35–65 years old and 4926 men, 45–65 years old) participating to the SUpplementation in AntioXidant VItamins and Minerals 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 with men (mean: 13.4 μmol/l, 95% confidence interval: 9.7–17.1 μmol/l, P<0.0001). In total, 10% of the women showed serum zinc values <10.7 μmol/l and 10% of the men showed serum zinc values <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 Center, and the lowest in the Southwest of France for both men and women. The association between serum zinc concentrations and food categories or macronutrient 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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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the staff of the SU.VI.M.AX study, to all those who helped in carrying out this study and to the volunteers who participated in this trial. We would like to particularly thank Fatima Jellouli and Nathalie Arnault, statisticians for their contributions in the data management and statistical analyses and Sandrine Berthelin, technician for its contribution in zinc determinations. The SU.VI.M.AX project received support from public and private sectors. Special acknowledgements are addressed to UBF, Fruit d’Or Recherche, Lipton, Cereal, Candia, Kellogg's, CERIN, LU/Danone, Sodexho, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Peugeot, Jet Service, RP Scherer, France Telecom, Becton Dickinson, Fould Springer, Boehringer Diagnostic, Seppic Givaudan Lavirotte, Air Liquide, Carboxyque, Klocke, Trophy Radio, Jouan and Perkin Elmer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inserm U884, Laboratoire de Bioénergétique Fondamentale et Appliquée (LBFA), Grenoble, F-38000,

    J Arnaud, M Andriollo-Sanchez & A-M Roussel

  2. Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, F-38041, France

    J Arnaud, M Andriollo-Sanchez & A-M Roussel

  3. Département de Biologie Intégrée (DBI), Pôle de biologie, CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France

    J Arnaud, D Ruffieux & A Favier

  4. Unité de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle (UREN), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) INSERM U557/INRA U1125/CNAM/CRNH Ile-de-France/SMBH Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, Bobigny, France

    M Touvier, P Galan & S Hercberg

  5. Département de Santé Publique, Hôpital Avicenne, Bobigny, France

    S Hercberg

  6. Laboratoire des Acides Nucléiques (LAN), Service de Chimie Inorganique et Biologique (SCIB), and Institut Nanosciences et Cryogénie (INAC), CEA, Grenoble, France

    A Favier

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Arnaud, J., Touvier, M., Galan, P. et al. Determinants of serum zinc concentrations in a population of French middle-age subjects (SU.VI.MAX cohort). Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 1057–1064 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.118

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