Serum Zınc, Magnesıum and Copper Levels Of Adolescent Gırls In Relatıon To Theır Dıetary Intake

Abstract

Serum zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and magnesium (Mg) levels and their dietary intake were investigated in 84 adolescent girls who lived in one of the outskirt districts of Ankara-Gülveren. Serum levels of zinc and copper were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Serum magnesium levels were determined by a spectrophotometric method. A three day's diet history was taken from the subjects to evaluate their nutrients intake. It vvas observed that their diet consisted of mainly cereals and meals prepared with vvheat flour; their protein intake of animal origin wasvery low and their consumption of dessicated legumes vvas not enough to compensate for the protein deficit. Accordingly, Zn and Mg were found to be insufficient in the diet (100*% and 36.9 % of the cases respectively) and their serum levels partly reflected this deficit (75 % and 50 % of the cases respectively). Despite the low dietary intake of copper (54.7 %), adolescents were either hypercupremic (40.4%) or normocupremic (58.3%). This can be attributed to the stress and hormonal variations of the adolescence period, to the copper content of the drinking vvater, to the copper contamination from meal cups and to the high risk of infectional diseases in this group. There vvere no positive correlations between serum levels of these minerals and their dietary intake. This can be due to the high phytate, oxalat eand phosphate content of the diet. In addition this, other factors such as the! interaction of these elements with each other, the intake of protein and energy, the physiologic and psychologic variations of the adolescence period, may in part explain the absence of any correlation.