Relationship between zinc in serum and hair and some hormones during sexual maturation in humans.

We have measured the levels of zinc in serum (Zn-S) and in hair (Zn-H) in 391 adolescents, in good health, aged between 11 and 14 years. To evaluate the relationship between zinc status and sexual maturation we have analyzed, in the same subjects, the serum concentrations of the following hormones: luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHA-S), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2). No significant relationship between zinc in the biological samples and the hormones measured in all subjects was observed; only in prepuberal females was a positive correlation found between Zn-S and E2. A significant relationship between Zn-S and LH was observed only for males with short stature or low weight (less than 25th percentile) (r = 0.359, p = 0.010; r = 0.47, p = 0.008, respectively). When prepuberal males with short stature were considered, a significant association between Zn-S and T appeared (r = 0.399, p = 0.006). In females with short stature (less than 25th percentile), partial correlation coefficients showed a significant association between FSH and zinc in hair (r = 0.435, p = 0.004), while in girls with low weight, FSH appeared positively related to zinc in hair (r = 0.470, p = 0.003) and negatively related to zinc in serum (r = -0.320, p = 0.050). Our results suggest that zinc plays an important role in the metabolism of hormones linked to sexual maturation.