Urinary zinc as a marker of zinc intake: results of a supplementation trial in free-living men.

Twenty-four adult male volunteers were asked to ingest 50 or 100 mg elemental zinc (as zinc sulphate) for 7 days. The design was a randomized cross-over trial with a 3 week wash-out period. A significant increase in 24 h urinary zinc excretion occurred after supplementation with 100 mg with a change from 48.0 +/- 4.6 (mg Zn/mmol creatinine, mean +/- SE) at day 0 to 82.6 +/- 15.9 at day 7 (P < 0.05). No significant change was observed following supplementation with 50 mg zinc. Taken together with published data, this suggests urinary zinc excretion is sensitive only to extreme changes in dietary zinc intake.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes