HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Griffin, I. J Articles by Abrams, S. A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Griffin, I. J Articles by Abrams, S. A Agricola Articles by Griffin, I. J Articles by Abrams, S. A

Metabolic adaptations to low zinc intakes in premenarcheal girls^1,2,3,4

¹ From the Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics (IJG, SAA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Children’s Nutrition Research Center (IJG, PDH, LKL, SAA), Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston

Background: Zinc deficiency is increasingly recognized as an important cause of mortality and morbidity. Children in developing countries are at especially high risk because of relatively low zinc intakes and poor bioavailability.

Objective: We assessed the effect of 2-wk adaptation to low zinc intake (4 mg/d) on fractional zinc absorption, endogenous fecal zinc excretion, and urinary zinc excretion.

Design: Sixteen healthy 9–14-y-old girls were studied twice in random order after 2-wk adaptation to diets providing either 12 mg/d (high) or 4 mg/d (low) zinc. Fractional zinc absorption and endogenous fecal zinc excretion were measured with use of established stable isotope techniques.

Results: Plasma zinc was not significantly lower during the low dietary intake period (1.06 ± 0.18 mg/L) than during the high dietary intake period (1.14 ± 0.23 mg/L, P = 0.30). Endogenous fecal zinc excretion was significantly lower during the low intake period (1.08 ± 0.62 mg/d) than during the high intake period (1.82 ± 0.95 mg/d, P < 0.026), but there was no significant change in fractional zinc absorption (30.6% ± 12.4% compared with 26.6% ± 9.0%, P = 0.32) or urinary zinc excretion (0.68 ± 0.35 mg/d compared with 0.59 ± 0.24 mg/d, P = 0.30). Approximate zinc balance was significantly lower during the low-intake period than during the high-intake period (P = 0.007) and significantly (P < 0.0001) less than zero.

Conclusion: Short-term zinc restriction in premenarcheal girls leads to a significant decrease in endogenous fecal zinc excretion, which was inadequate to restore normal zinc balance.

Key Words: Stable isotopes • mineral metabolism • zinc absorption • zinc balance • zinc excretion