• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 1997

This study was intended to examine the zinc status of free-living adult women living in the Taegu region. Zine intake of 102 female subjects was measured by food frequency method for 3 consecutive days. Urinary zine was assessed from urine samples collected fir twenty four hours. Average dietary zinc intake of adult female subjects using food record was 5.9$\pm$1.8mg which was 49$\%$of Korean RDA. When zine intake by frequency method was higher than by food record. Average urinary zine intake by frequency method was higher than that by food record. Thus, it appeared that zinc intake by frequency method was higher than that by food record. Average urinary zinc excretion of 102 adult female subjects was 0.28$\pm$0.16mg, which belonged to marginal zinc deficiency range. Fifty nine of 102 subjects showed marginal zinc deficiency as assessed by urinary zinc excretion. If we compare the zinc status of adult female subjects by age group, zinc intake in the 50s was significantly higher than any other age groups. However, there were no significant differences in zinc status according to BMI groups and BMI groups. Significant correlations were found between zinc intake and energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat intake. Based on dietary zinc intake and urinary zinc, we concluded that zinc status of adult female living in the Taegu region is marginally deficient.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.346-353
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• 1995

The dietary requirement for zinc to maintain optimally the various metabolic and physiological funcitons is still under study. Human beings adapt to reductions in zinc intake by reducing the rate of growth or zinc excretion. Reductions in dietary zinc beyond the capacity to maintain homeostasis lead to utilization of zinc from an exchangeable pool. Loss of a small, critical amount of zinc from this pool leads to both biochemical and clinical signs of zinc deficiency. Zinc requirements have been assessed by balance studies and factorial method. As tissue zinc status influences endogenous losses and the dietary needs, individuls in good status may require higher amounts of zinc than those in poor status. While plasma zinc is insensitive to reducitons in dietary zinc, it is regarded as a valid, useful indicator of the exchangeable pool of zinc. Plasma metallothionein concentrations may prove useful for identifying poor zinc status. It has been suggested that functional end point measurement is the new direciton for zinc requirement. However, determination of the functional response to a marginal zinc intake is difficult because of the lack of a specific, sensitive indicator of zinc status. Presently, no good method for assessment of human zinc requirements exists.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.229-235
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• 2009

This study was carried out to determine whether a short-term zinc supplementation could improve the zinc status without adverse changes in copper status among type 2 diabetic patients. Seventy-six diabetic subjects and 72 normal adults participated in this study. Subjects were randomly divided into supplemented and control groups. Forty-four diabetic patients and 34 normal subjects were supplemented with 50 mg zinc gluconate daily for 4 weeks. Dietary intakes of participants were measured for two non-consecutive days by 24-hour recall method. Nutritional status of zinc and copper were also evaluated by biochemical measurement of fasting plasma samples and spot urinary collection. At baseline, diabetic patients showed significantly lower levels of dietary zinc intake and higher urinary zinc excretion than the normal adult group(p<0.05, p<0.0001). Plasma level of zinc was not significantly different between diabetic and normal adults at baseline. However, plasma zinc level increased significantly in both diabetic patients and normal adults after zinc supplementation. The changes in plasma copper levels following zinc supplementation were not statistically significant in diabetic subjects as well as in normal adults. These results indicated that four weeks of zinc supplementation did not influence Cu status and that it may contribute to improving the zinc status. Therefore, we suggest that Zn supplementation for a short-term period may improve marginal zinc status of diabetic patients without interfering with their copper status

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.484-492
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• 2000

In an attempt to figure out the relationship between zinc status and taste acuity of old and young women, dietary zinc intake, urinary zinc excretion, and taste acuity were determined for 118 women. Zinc intake was measured by 2-day food records and food frequency method. Urinary zinc excretion was measured from urine samples collected for twenty four hours. Body fat, lean body mass (LBM), and total body water were measured by bio-impedence. Average dietary zinc intake by food record was 4.15$\pm$1.33mg (=35% if Korean RDA) for the old women and 5.41$\pm$2.76mg (=25% of RDA) for young women. When zinc intake was measured by a frequency method, the average intakes of the old and young women were 3.5$\pm$1.7mg 4.5$\pm$1.9mg, respectively. It appears that dietary zinc intake of young women was significantly higher than that of the old women. Average urinary zinc excretion of the subjects was 0.27$\pm$0.16mg in the elderly and 0.24$\pm$0.13mg in young women, which indicated a marginal zinc status. However, zinc status was not significantly different between old and young women. Correlation analysis indicated that zinc intake and urinary zinc excretion were positively related to BMI and LBM in young women. The old women (m=49) showed significantly higher taste detection thresholds than young subjects (n=47) for both sweet and salty tastes. Recognition thresholds for sodium chloride and sucrose were not significantly different between old and young women. The lower the taste thresholds for salty taste, the higher the average dietary zinc intake. However, taste perception concentration was not related to the urinary zinc excretion level.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2011

To evaluate the effect of feeding methods on growth and zinc nutritional status of infants early in life, we monitored from birth to 36 months in 51 infants who were exclusively fed human milk (HM, n=20), casein-based formula (CBF, n=12), or soy-based formula (SBF, n=19) during the first five months of life. Zinc status was assessed by analyzing serum zinc concentrations and zinc intakes. Zinc contents in HM and formulas were measured. Zinc intake was estimated by weighing infants before and after feeding in the HM group and by collecting formula-intake records in the CBF and SBF groups. After solid foods were introduced, all foods consumed were also included to estimate zinc intake. The growth of infants in all groups was similar to that established for normal Korean infants. Human milk zinc concentrations declined as lactation progressed. Zinc concentrations in all formulas tested in this study were higher than HM and were also higher than those claimed by the manufacturers. During the first twelve months, mean serum zinc concentrations of infants were similar in all groups, although infants in the HM group consistently had the lowest zinc intake among the groups, and the overall zinc intake in infants fed SBF was highest. This finding could be explained by the difference zinc bioavailability of HM and formulas. In conclusion, infants fed HM, CBF or SBF has normal growth up to three years of age, although HM contained the lowest zinc concentration followed by CBF, then SBF.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2004

The zinc intake and status of South Koreans from rural, urban and metropolitan areas were compared to evaluate the zinc nutritional status in different regional areas in South Korea. The dietary habits of 721 healthy adult subjects (271 from rural, 240 from urban, 210 from metropolitan city) with an age range 30 ∼ 64 (mean age 54$\pm$18) were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Mean daily Zn intake for rural, urban, and metropolitan areas was 6.5 mg, 7.3 mg, and 11.4 mg (p<0.05), respectively, which was 54%,61% and 95% of the Korean RDA for man (12 mg/d). Mean phytate: zinc molar ratios for rural, urban, and metropolitan city were 41, 34, and 30, respectively (p < 0.05), which were higher than the cutoff level of 20 for poor zinc status. The zinc intake and phytate: Zn molar ratio in the rural area were 0.5 and 1.3-fold compared to those of the metropolitan city, which can cause poor zinc nutriture in the rural area. Most of the zinc biomarkers were lower in the rural area than in the metropolitan city (p < 0.05) (mean rural and metropolitan values for plasma Zn: 80.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL and 119.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL, respectively; RBC Zn: 7.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL and 8.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL, respectively; plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity: 87 mU/mL and 100.4 mU/mL, respectively). It seems that a lower zinc intake in the rural area decreased zinc biomarker levels, such as plasma and RBC zinc, and plasma alkaline phosphatase activity, and caused the poor zinc nutritional status in this area. Most of the zinc biomarkers, such as RBC zinc and urinary and plasma zinc levels, in the subjects from the three localities, were within the normal range even when zinc intake of rural and urban subjects was low. The exception was plasma ALP activity in the rural area, which was lower than the reference level. Thus, marked zinc deficiency in these subjects were not observed, however, the potential for marginal zinc deficiency should be considered, especially for the rural area, because of the low zinc intake and the biomarker levels for marginal zinc deficiency.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among zinc status, diet quality, glycemic control and self-rated physical activity level of type 2 diabetic patients. Dietary intakes for two non-consecutive days were measured by 24-hour recall method for seventy-six diabetic patients. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were measured for the assessment of glycemic control. We evaluated the extent of dietary adequacy by the percentage of subjects with a dietary intake of a nutrient less than the estimated average requirement(EAR), the dietary diversity score(DDS) and the dietary variety score(DVS). Zinc status was assessed from serum levels and urinary excretion. Dietary inadequacy was serious for five nutrients: riboflavin, calcium, thiamin, zinc and vitamin C. Dietary intakes from the meat, fish, and egg food groups and the milk food group were below the recommended level. We found that subjects with high levels of physical activities had significantly higher DVS and serum zinc levels compared to others (p

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.252-263
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• 2006

Zinc is an antioxidant trace mineral, scavenging free radicals and known to be involved in inflammatory reactions. The prevalence of atherogenic diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD) are increasing in Korean adults of middle age and elderly. The increased cell damage from free radicals and inflammation have been implicated in etiology of CHD, and the evidence is accumulating that low zinc status is involved in the prevalence of this inflammatory atherogenic disease. However, little is known about the zinc status of Korean CHD and its relationship with dietary zinc intake and zinc bioavailabilty. In this study the serum zinc levels of male patients with CHD over 40 yrs. were compared with that of healthy adult males and its associations with dietary zinc intake and zinc bioavailabilty affecting factors were examined. Serum zinc level was measured by HANARO research reactor using neutron activation analysis (NAA) method. The overall proportion of patients with zinc deficiency, serum zinc concentrations below $74.0{\mu}g/dL$ was 32.8% compared to the 10.3% in healthy group. The average serum zinc levels were $80.7{\mu}g/dL\;and\;88.3{\mu}g/dL$ in patients and healthy group, respectively, showing significantly low zinc status in CHD patients compared to healthy group. The intake of nutrients such as energy, carbohydrate, iron, and copper of CHD patients was significantly higher compared to that of the healthy group. In addition, the intake of calcium, iron, and protein from vegetable foods was significantly higher in CHD patients than that of healthy group. The dietary zinc intake was $12.7{\pm}4.5mg$ and $11.5{\pm}6.9mg$ in CHD patients and control group, respectively, which showed no difference. The phytate intake of patients group, which is 1389.0 mg, was significantly higher than the control group which showed 1104.8 mg. However, the ratio of phytate: zinc or phytate * calcium. zinc per 1000 kcal energy intake did not show any difference between two groups. The serum zinc levels did not show any correlation with zinc or factors that affect the bioavailability of zinc. The dietary factors influencing the zinc status were not found in CHD patients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.132-140
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• 2010

High sodium intake is one of the risk factors for the development of hypertension. According to 2007 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, sodium intake of Korean was three times higher than adequate intake (1.5 g/day) recommended by Korean Dietary Reference Intakes. High sodium intake is related to high threshold and preference of salty taste. And zinc status is known to affect taste acuity. The hypothesis of this study is that zinc status is associated with salty taste acuity, preference, sodium intake and blood pressure. The subjects included in this study were 50 men and 41 women aged 20-29 y who did not smoke and not take supplements or medications regularly. Dietary intake data for 3 days were collected by 24-h recall for 1 day and dietary record for 2-days. Salty taste acuity and preference were determined by sensory test. Fasting serum concentration of zinc, height, weight, body composition and blood pressure data were collected. Salt taste preference in high zinc intake group ($\geq$ estimated average requirement, EAR; men-8.1 mg/day, women-7 mg/day) was higher than that in low zinc intake group (< EAR). Salty taste preference was inversely correlated with serum zinc concentration in people with low concentration of serum zinc (${\leqq}\;81\;{\mu}g/dL$)(r = -0.3520, p < 0.05). Diastolic blood pressure was higher in high sodium intake group than in low sodium intake group (p < 0.05), positively correlated with salty taste preference (r = 0.3866, p < 0.05) in subjects with daily zinc intake below the EAR. We conclude that low zinc status may be related to high salty taste preference and high blood pressure in Korean young adults.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.277-286
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• 1999

This study was conducted to assess dietary intake and nutritional status of zinc and copper in Korean college women. Dietary survey was conducted by 24-hour recall method and fasting serum samples were collected from 111 apparently healthy subjects. Intake levels of zinc and copper were calculated using newly developed database for Zn & Cu of Korea food. Serum levels of Zn, Cu and activities of ALP, EC-SOD were measured from fasting serum sample. Mean daily zinc and copper intakes were 6.72mg/day(56.0% RDA) and 1.11mg/day respectively. Mean values of serum ALP activity, zinc and copper concentration were 43.9U/L, 14.8umol/1, 15.5umol/1and these values were mostly within normal range. EC-SOD activitis of the subjects were low and had no correlation with intake or serum levels of Zn, Cu. In conclusion, these results show that zinc and copper intake of Koran college women are lower than those from other counties but higher than those of adults in rural area of Korea. Their serum levels of Zn, Cu, ALP are relatively normal. These results indicate that marginal deficiency of Zn and Cu may be quite prevalent in these subjects but serum indicators measured may not be sensitive enough to detect such marginal deficiency. Further study in needed to develop a biochemical index sensitive enough to evaluate Zn and Cu status.