Associations of Socio-demographic and Behavioral Variables with Hair Zinc of Vancouver Preschoolers

Abstract

Marginal zinc deficiency (MZD) exists in children of industrialized societies and impairs growth and development. MZD is believed to be one of the most common deficiencies, even though there is no data available on its global prevalence. This is partly because of the lack of sensitivity and specificity of serum zinc, the most commonly used biomarker of zinc status, to detect MZD. In children, MZD is always accompanied by a decrease in hair zinc. This cross-sectional study was designed to explore if there are any associations between some socio-demographic and behavioral variables with hair zinc status in an attempt to understand the social determinants of MZD and the profile of at risk children. Our citywide survey (n = 719) indicated a mean hair zinc of 116 ± 43 μg/g with 17% below the cutoff. Logistic regression analysis indicated that age, maternal education, number of adults at home, being described as "eating unhealthy", and Child Behavior Questionnaire scores of "activity level" as the significant predictors of hair zinc status. Our study provides important information on the hair zinc status of Vancouver preschoolers and some factors in children and their environment associated with hair zinc, which may help in better understanding of hair zinc as a biomarker of MZD.

Infants and elderlies are susceptible to zinc deficiency

“…Hair zinc concentration is commonly used in marginal zinc deficiency studies of children, and its usefulness has been documented in many industrialized countries including Canada and the USA 27 28 29 30 31 . Symptomatic zinc deficiency in infants was first reported in the early 1980s, with most cases occurring in breast-fed preterm infants 32 33 34 35 because the zinc concentration of human milk is much lower than that of cow’s milk, and the demand for zinc increases rapidly in thriving preterm infants 36 .…”

Zinc deficiency and low enterocyte zinc transporter expression in human patients with autism related mutations in SHANK3

“…Reference values were calculated as described by Yasuda et al 23. and compared to reference values initially obtained from healthy normal children and adults65 and a study on Vancouver preschoolers aged 2–5 year-old3766. The mean Zn level from all participants aged 1–12 was calculated and the obtained standard deviation (SD) multiplied by 2.…”

Associação das concentrações séricas de zinco com hipercolesterolemia e resistência à insulina em crianças brasileiras

“…Essas diferentes prevalências da deficiência de zinco no México e na Espanha em relação à encontrada no presente estudo podem ser justificadas devido ao fato de que a concentração sanguínea de zinco foi mensurada na fração plasmática, o que dificulta a comparação. É importante destacar que a heterogeneidade das populações pode influenciar o estado nutricional de zinco, principalmente em relação ao nível socioeconômico, encontrando-se maiores prevalências de deficiência em crianças residentes em áreas rurais 3,13 , uma vez que a deficiência de zinco está associada ao baixo poder aquisitivo, à menor disponibilidade de alimentos-fonte e às condições inadequadas de saneamento 32 . Além disso, as diferentes faixas etárias incluídas nos estudos podem contribuir para esses achados inconsistentes, uma vez que a deficiência de zinco tende a ser mais prevalente em indivíduos de menor idade 3,4,32 .…”