title: Association between plasma zinc concentration and zinc kinetic parameters in premenopausal women.
abstract: The objective of this study was to measure relationships between plasma zinc (Zn) concentrations and Zn kinetic parameters and to measure relationships of Zn status with taste acuity, food frequency, and hair Zn in humans. The subjects were 33 premenopausal women not taking oral contraceptives and dietary supplements containing iron and Zn. Main outcomes were plasma Zn concentrations, Zn kinetic parameters based on the three-compartment mammillary model using 67Zn as a tracer, electrical taste detection thresholds, and food frequencies. Lower plasma Zn was significantly (P < 0.01) associated with smaller sizes of the central and the lesser peripheral Zn pools, faster disappearance of tracer from plasma, and higher transfer rate constants from the lesser peripheral pool to the central pool and from the central pool to the greater peripheral pool. The break points in the plasma Zn-Zn kinetics relationship were found between 9.94 and 11.5 micromol/l plasma Zn. Smaller size of the lesser peripheral pool was associated with lower frequency of beef consumption and higher frequency of bran breakfast cereal consumption. Hypozincemic women with plasma Zn <10.7 micromol/l or 700 ng/ml had decreased thresholds of electrical stimulation for gustatory nerves. Our results based on Zn kinetics support the conventional cutoff value of plasma Zn (10.7 micromol/l or 700 ng/ml) between normal and low Zn status.
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Human Nutrition, Seitoku University Graduate School, Matsudo, Chiba 271-8555, Japan. yokoi@seitoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: Norman G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.forename: V M Sadagopa
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Ramanujam
authors.forename: Nancy W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Alcock
authors.forename: Hari H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Dayal
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Penland
authors.forename: Harold H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Sandstead
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002814:Chorda Tympani Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet; D002523:Edible Grain; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004920:Erythropoiesis; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005930:Glossopharyngeal Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008433:Mathematics; D008460:Meat; D008954:Models, Biological; D009752:Nutritional Status; D017697:Premenopause; D013649:Taste; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins; D015032:Zinc