The Impact of Serum Zinc Levels on Abdominal Fat Mass in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Background: Zinc deficiency is highly prevalent and is caused by inadequate dietary intake, malabsorption and removal by treatment in hemodialysis patients. This study investigated the relationship between serum zinc levels and nutritional status in hemodialysis patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study examining 87 hemodialysis patients was performed. The serum concentrations of zinc were studied to evaluate their association with nutritional status, which was assessed by measuring abdominal muscle and fat areas with computed tomography. Results: Serum zinc levels were significantly and positively correlated with subcutaneous and visceral fat areas (r = 0.299, p < 0.01, and r = 0.298, p < 0.01, respectively), but not abdominal muscle areas. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that serum zinc levels were a significant independent predictor of visceral fat areas (p < 0.01), but not subcutaneous fat areas (p = 0.631). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that serum zinc levels could play a crucial role in determining abdominal fat mass in hemodialysis patients.

Zinc Deficiency, Plasma Fatty Acid Profile and Desaturase Activities in Hemodialysis Patients: Is Supplementation Necessary?

“…Linearity of the calibration curve above 0.999 was obtained for both trace metals in the range from 1 to 250µg/L. The accuracy of the method used, expressed as recovery and determined by analysis of standard reference material (Seronorm TM Trace Elements Serum L-2), was from 95.2 to 103.3% for 65 Cu and from 96.2 to 102.7% for 66 Zn. Serum zinc concentration below 60 µg/dL was defined as zinc deficient (50).…”

“…Some authors declare that it is not clear yet whether low serum/plasma zinc levels in CKD patients represent genuine deficiency or its low levels are due to redistribution in different biological compartments ( 65 ). Recently, serum zinc levels were found to positively correlate with the nutritional status assessed by measuring abdominal fat area using computed tomography in patients with advanced CKD undergoing hemodialysis ( 66 ). In our study, no statistically significant correlations were determined between the serum zinc level concentration and anthropometric measurements.…”

Association between Serum Zinc Levels and Clinical Index or the Body Composition in Incident Hemodialysis Patients

“…Previous studies investigated serum zinc levels and the nutritional status in maintenance HD patients. Serum zinc levels were found to positively correlate with the nutritional status in HD patients, which was assessed by measuring abdominal fat areas using computed tomography [ 15 ]. Furthermore, a previous meta-analysis revealed that zinc supplementation improved the nutritional status of maintenance HD patients [ 16 ].…”

“…However, a recent study on maintenance HD patients recommended a lower serum zinc range (≤78.3 µg/dL) because of the potential for copper deficiency [ 14 ]. Previous studies suggested that a relationship exists between serum zinc levels and the nutritional status [ 15 , 16 ]; however, limited information is currently available on this relationship in HD patients. Furthermore, although serum zinc levels may affect the outcomes of CVD and mortality, their relationship with clinical outcomes remains unclear.…”

Clinical Significance of Trace Element Zinc in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

“…In this regard, Beddhu et al [ 47 ] have attempted to answer this question using 24-h urinary creatinine excretion as a marker for muscle mass in conjunction with BMI and proposed that muscle mass might be more important in this survival advantage than fat mass. Besides, Caetano et al [ 48 ] have demonstrated that fat mass might be more important than muscle mass in predicting 1-year mortality with bioimpedance analysis.…”