Supplemented zinc does not alter mood in healthy older European adults – a randomised placebo-controlled trial: the Zenith study

• Published in: Public health nutrition Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 882 - 888
• Main Authors: Stewart-Knox, Barbara J, Rae, Gordon, Simpson, Ellen EA, McConville, Chris, O’Connor, Jacqueline, Polito, Angela, Andriollo-Sanchez, Maud, Coudray, Charles, Strain, JJ
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.05.2011; CABI Pub. on behalf of the Nutrition Society; Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Subjects: Affect - drug effects; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Agricultural sciences; analysis of variance; Biological and behavioural determinants; Brain research; Diabetes; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; elderly; emotions; Europe; Europeans; Female; Health care; Hormone replacement therapy; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Middle Aged; Older people; Trace Elements - administration & dosage; Trace Elements - blood; Trace Elements - deficiency; Trace Elements - pharmacology; Variance analysis; Vegetarianism; volunteers; Womens health; Zinc; Zinc - administration & dosage; Zinc - blood; Zinc - deficiency; Zinc - pharmacology; Europe; Intervention; Mood; PANAS; Affect; Elderly; Zenith; Zinc; mood; affect; elderly; intervention; zinc
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980010002764

Objective Older people are vulnerable to zinc deficiency, which may impact upon their mood. This randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind intervention study aimed to investigate the effect of oral zinc gluconate supplementation (15 mg/d; 30 mg/d; and placebo) on subjective mood (affect) in older Europeans. Subjects Healthy volunteers (n 387) aged 55–87 years were recruited.Setting Volunteers in Rome (Italy; n 108) and Grenoble (France; n 91) were aged 70–87 years and those in Coleraine (Northern Ireland; n 93) and Clermont-Ferrand (France; n 95) were aged 55–70 years. Design Mood was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale on four occasions per day over 4 d at baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Results Mixed ANOVA indicated that neither positive nor negative affect altered in response to zinc (15 mg/d or 30 mg/d) compared to placebo in either the 55–70 years or the ≥70 years age group. Conclusions These results suggest that zinc does not benefit mood in healthy older people.