Zinc and selenium status of healthy children from the Central Anatolian region of Turkey

Abstract

The concentrations of zinc in serum and hair from more than 600 healthy children aged between 7 - 12 years living in Konya (a city in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey) were measured to determine if their dietary zinc intakes and general zinc status are satisfactory. Their body weights and heights were also measured together with assessments of socioeconomic status and food consumption. There was a positive association between physical development, shown as larger height-for-age percentiles, and zinc concentrations in serum and hair both in females and males. The socioeconomic status of the children was strongly associated with levels of zinc in these samples and the lowest concentrations of zinc were found in children from the families with poor incomes and in children who rarely consumed meat, Serum selenium concentrations were similar to those found in Adana (Southern Turkey) and indicate that no active intervention to regulate selenium status is necessary.