A Consideration of Serum Zinc Concentration in Non-anemic Iron Deficient Young Women

Abstract

Iron and zinc are essential micronutrients for human health. Deficiencies in these 2 nutrients remain a global problem especially among childbearing-age women not only in developing countries but also developed countries. Iron-zinc interactions are increasingly important because deficiencies of these micronutrients often occur together. Subjects were classified as iron deficiency anemia (IDA) (Hb < 12 g/dl and serum ferritin < 20 ng/ml), iron deficiency without anemia (ID) (Hb ≥ 12 g/dl and serum ferritin < 20 ng/ml), and Normal (Hb ≥12 g/dl and serum ferritin ≥ 20 ng/ml). We examined hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin, serum iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and transferrin saturation as iron status and serum zinc in young women (age 19 to 20). The mean (±SD) Hb, and ferritin, Fe, UIBC, TIBC, transferrin saturation and Zn concentrations in serum of the participants were 12.9 ± 0.8 g/dl, 12.3 ± 4.4 ng/ml, 90 ± 43 μg/dl, 312 ± 79 μg/dl, 408 ± 56 μg/dl, 22.8 ± 12.9% and 81.1 ± 12.1 μg/dl, respectively. Anthropometrics of participants were consistent with the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2004 in Japan. The interesting observation was found that serum zinc of ID (81.1 ± 12.1 μg/dl) was not significantly different compared to Normalʼs (87.8 ± 17.4 μg/ dl) regardless IDA (98.7 ± 15.9 μg/dl) was. It corresponds to the results of Yokoi et al. that zinc pool sizes declined in premenopausal American women with ID. Further investigations of the association of iron and zinc nutriture are expected among Japanese young women.