Edwin W P Siyame1, Rachel Hurst2, Anna A Wawer2, Scott D Young3, Martin R Broadley3, Allan D C Chilimba4, Louise E Ander5, Michael J Watts5, Benson Chilima6, Jellita Gondwe6, Dalitso Kang'ombe7, Alexander Kalimbira1, Susan J Fairweather-Tait2, Karl B Bailey8, Rosalind S Gibson8. 1. Department of Home Economics and Human Nutrition, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bunda College Campus, Lilongwe, Malawi. 2. Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. 3. School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK. 4. Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Department of Agricultural Research Services, Lunyangwa Research Station, Mzuzu, Malawi. 5. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, UK. 6. Community Health Sciences Unit, Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi. 7. Nutrition Unit of Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi. 8. Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Zinc deficiency is often associated with nutritional iron deficiency (ID), and may be exacerbated by low selenium status. AIM: To investigate risk of iron and zinc deficiency in women with contrasting selenium status. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 1-day diet composites and blood samples were collected from self-selected Malawian women aged 18-50 years from low- (Zombwe) (n=60) and high-plant-available soil selenium (Mikalango) (n=60) districts. Diets were analyzed for trace elements and blood for biomarkers. RESULTS: Zinc deficiency (>90 %) was greater than ID anemia (6 %), or ID (5 %), attributed to diets low in zinc (median 5.7 mg/day) with high phytate:zinc molar ratios (20.0), but high in iron (21.0 mg/day) from soil contaminant iron. Zombwe compared to Mikalango women had lower (p<0.05) intakes of selenium (6.5 vs. 55.3 µg/day), zinc (4.8 vs. 6.4 mg/day), iron (16.6 vs. 29.6 mg/day), lower plasma selenium (0.72 vs. 1.60 µmol/L), and higher body iron (5.3 vs. 3.8 mg/kg), although plasma zinc was similar (8.60 vs. 8.87 µmol/L). Body iron and plasma zinc were positive determinants of hemoglobin. CONCLUSION: Risk of zinc deficiency was higher than ID and was shown not to be associated with selenium status. Plasma zinc was almost as important as body iron as a hemoglobin determinant.
BACKGROUND: Zinc deficiency is often associated with nutritional iron deficiency (ID), and may be exacerbated by low selenium status. AIM: To investigate risk of iron and zinc deficiency in women with contrasting selenium status. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 1-day diet composites and blood samples were collected from self-selected Malawian women aged 18-50 years from low- (Zombwe) (n=60) and high-plant-available soil selenium (Mikalango) (n=60) districts. Diets were analyzed for trace elements and blood for biomarkers. RESULTS: Zinc deficiency (>90 %) was greater than ID anemia (6 %), or ID (5 %), attributed to diets low in zinc (median 5.7 mg/day) with high phytate:zinc molar ratios (20.0), but high in iron (21.0 mg/day) from soil contaminant iron. Zombwe compared to Mikalango women had lower (p<0.05) intakes of selenium (6.5 vs. 55.3 µg/day), zinc (4.8 vs. 6.4 mg/day), iron (16.6 vs. 29.6 mg/day), lower plasma selenium (0.72 vs. 1.60 µmol/L), and higher body iron (5.3 vs. 3.8 mg/kg), although plasma zinc was similar (8.60 vs. 8.87 µmol/L). Body iron and plasma zinc were positive determinants of hemoglobin. CONCLUSION: Risk of zinc deficiency was higher than ID and was shown not to be associated with selenium status. Plasma zinc was almost as important as body iron as a hemoglobin determinant.
Entities:
Keywords:
Malawi; Se status; anemia; body iron; diet composites; plasma Zn; women
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