Prevalence of low dietary zinc intake in women and pregnant women in Ireland
Background In humans, zinc is involved in many biological functions acting as signaling ion, neurotransmitter, structural component of proteins, and cofactor for many enzymes and, through this, is an important regulator of the immune and nervous system. Food supplies zinc to the human body, but a hi...
Saved in:
Published in | Irish journal of medical science Vol. 192; no. 4; pp. 1835 - 1845 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cham
Springer International Publishing
01.08.2023
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Background
In humans, zinc is involved in many biological functions acting as signaling ion, neurotransmitter, structural component of proteins, and cofactor for many enzymes and, through this, is an important regulator of the immune and nervous system. Food supplies zinc to the human body, but a high prevalence of inadequate dietary zinc intake has been reported worldwide.
Aims
The objective of this study was to investigate the zinc intake and bioavailability of over 250 women (pregnant and non-pregnant) based in Ireland, in order to evaluate the dietary inadequacy of zinc.
Methodology
We used a food frequency questionnaire designed to assess the zinc intake and bioavailability of the participants.
Results
Our results show that 58% of participants are at risk of inadequate zinc intake and that 29% may be zinc deficient. The prevalence of inadequate zinc intake was lower for pregnant women (zinc deficient 9%, at risk 38%) than for non-pregnant women due to more frequent consumption of supplements. Low zinc intake was not correlated with the age of participants and resulted from a combination of inadequate intake of zinc-rich food and relatively higher intake of food items rich in phytate, a major zinc uptake inhibitor.
Conclusions
We conclude that at present, low zinc intake may be prevalent in as much as 87% of women, including 47% of pregnant women. Therefore, zinc status needs to be considered as a factor impacting the health of women, and in particular pregnant women, also in industrialized and developed countries such as Ireland. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0021-1265 1863-4362 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s11845-022-03181-w |