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Zinc absorption in Guatemalan schoolchildren fed normal or low-phytate maize^1,2,3

¹ From the Center for Studies of Sensory Impairments, Aging, and Metabolism, Guatemala City, Guatemala (MM, RC, BB, and NWS); the Section of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO (KMH, NFK, JEW, SL, and GKG); and the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Aberdeen, ID (VR)

Background: Poor bioavailability of zinc from high-phytate diets is an important contributory factor to zinc deficiency in low-income populations.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of low-phytate maize consumption on zinc absorption.

Design: The participants were apparently healthy children from the Central Highlands of Guatemala. Sixty children (20 per group) were randomly assigned to be fed only the low-phytate maize or 1 of 2 control maizes, the isohybrid wild-type maize or a local maize, for a 10-wk period. During the final week, the fractional absorption of zinc for all meals was measured during 1 d with the use of zinc stable isotopes and a dual isotope ratio technique based on urine enrichment data.

Results: Mean (±SD) phytate intakes for the low-phytate, wild-type, and local maize groups were 1536 ± 563, 2056 ± 517, and 2253 ± 687 mg/d, respectively. Corresponding zinc intakes were 8.6 ± 2.5, 8.1 ± 2.0, and 9.7 ± 2.6 mg/d, and the dietary phytate:zinc molar ratios were 18 ± 5, 26 ± 6, and 23 ± 5. Corresponding fractional absorptions of zinc were 0.32 ± 0.07, 0.28 ± 0.07, and 0.29 ± 0.06. The respective values for total absorbed zinc were 2.72 ± 0.88, 2.30 ± 0.96, and 2.78 ± 1.04 mg/d. No significant differences in either the fractional absorption of zinc or total absorbed zinc were seen between the maize groups.

Conclusion: Under the conditions of the present study, zinc absorption was not increased by the long-term use of low-phytate maize in children whose major dietary staple is maize.

Key Words: Zinc bioavailability • stable isotopes • maize • phytic acid • Guatemalan children

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