The Effect of Dietary Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron Consumptions on Hair and Serum Levels of University Students

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the effects of dietary calcium,magnesium, and ir on intakes on serum and hair levels of university students. Thirteen healthy female volunteers whose mean age was 2 1 .6 2± 0 .2 9 years and BMIs 20 .85±0.65 included to the study. Diet samples of the subjects were taken and weighing during three days. On one o f the s e days fasting blood samples were taken and hair samples were collected. The protein, lipid, calcium,magnesium, and iron were analyzed from dietary samples and the energy and carbohydrate w ere found by calculation. Blood and hair samples were only used fo r inorganic nutrient analysis. The consumption of dietary calcium, magnesium, and iron were found to be 5.68 mg/kg, 3.15 mg/kg and 0.16mg/kg, respectively. From the blood and hair samples that were analized the levels o f 0.6 mg/g and 8.1 mg/dL fo r calcium; 70 mcg/g and 1.9 mg/dL fo r magnesium; 36.3 mcg/g and 113.8 mcg/dL fo r iron were found. Although we could not found a statistically significiant relationship between dietary intakes and serum and hair levels ofthese inorganic nutrients (p>0.025 ), a positive correlation was found between dietary magnesium level and calcium-iron levels (rM g -C a= 0 .6 2 , rM g -F e= 0 .7 9 , p<0 .05,p<0.01 ). Performing ofsome other similar studies with a large number of samples will be useful in order to explain this existing relation between dietary ıntake of inorganic nutrients, serum and hair levels.