The Zinc, Copper, and Selenium Status of a Selected Sample of Canadian Elderly Women

Abstract

The zinc, copper, and selenium status of 90 noninstitutionalized Canadian elderly women (M age = 70.3 years) in a university community and consuming self-selected diets was assessed using hair and serum trace element levels and dietary trace element intakes. Mean (+/- SD) serum zinc and copper levels (analyzed via atomic absorption spectrophotometry, AA) were 1.09 +/- 0.13 and 1.22 +/- 0.29 micrograms/ml, respectively. Mean serum selenium (+/- SD) (analyzed via instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was 0.115 +/- 0.03 micrograms/ml. Median hair trace element values, analyzed via INAA, were 156 for zinc, 12.8 for copper, and 0.63 micrograms/g for selenium. Mean (+/- SD) daily dietary intakes determined via chemical analysis of 1-day diet duplicates were 1.2 +/- .06 mg/d for copper (via AA), 7.6 +/- 3.3 mg/d and 77.6 +/- 44.5 micrograms/d for zinc and selenium (via INAA), respectively, whereas mean copper and zinc intakes (+/- SD) calculated from 3-day records were 1.6 +/- 0.7 and 10.1 +/- 3.5 mg/day, respectively. Median hair and serum trace element values were above the levels associated with deficiencies. Thus the zinc, copper and selenium status of these elderly women appeared adequate.

Determination of Trace Metal Levels in the General Population of Korea

“…In the present study, the mean serum Se level was 111.37 μg/L (SD = 22.32) which is similar to the level reported for other Asian countries such as Taiwan (110.9 μg/L) [ 44 ] and Japan (117.4 μg/L) [ 45 ], as well as Canada (115 μg/L) [ 46 ]. However, our Se values are generally lower than those obtained in the US during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of 2003–2004 (136.7 μg/L) [ 47 ].…”

Selenium and Oxygen‐Metabolizing Enzymes in Elderly Community Residents: A Pilot Epidemiological Study

“…It has been hypothesized that a reduction of selenium levels with age is linked to modified food habits. Moreover it has been demonstrated that, due to the great variation of food Se content, a dietary assessment of selenium is not reliable in an epidemiological study 48 , 49 . Modified food habits can, perhaps, explain differences between the elderly and other adults, but it does not seem plausible that it can explain the progressive decrease observed with age.…”

Selenium and Zinc Status Are Suboptimal in a Sample of Older New Zealand Women in a Community-Based Study

“…The effects appear to be cumulative, but it has been suggested that the role of nutrition is more important than age in the elderly population (1). Of all the nutrients involved in immunocompetence, selenium and zinc are the two trace elements that have been most frequently investigated in older adults (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). Selenium's role in immune function, as well as cancer prevention, is related to its physiologic requirement as an active component in various enzymes involved in redox reactions protecting membranes from oxidative damage (14,15).…”