Effect of vegetarianism on the zinc status of pregnant women.

The zinc status of 12 pregnant vegetarian women, six pregnant nonvegetarian women, and five nonpregnant vegetarian women was evaluated. Zinc intake was calculated from 3-day dietary records. Hair, urinary, and nonfasting plasma samples were collected during an interview. Dietary, plasma, urinary, and hair zinc levels did not differ significantly between the pregnant vegetarians and nonvegetarians. But plasma zinc was about 21% lower in the pregnant women than the nonpregnant women even though the pregnant women consumed about twice as much zinc as the nonpregnant women. The data suggest that the parameters of zinc status studied were affected by pregnancy more than ovo-lacto vegetarian dietary habits.