The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004, vol. 80, no. 3), investigated the association between dietary and plasma zinc with bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis in older men. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the US Department of Agriculture analyzed data from the Rancho Bernardo Study, including 396 men, over the age of 45, from 1988 to 1992 and 4 years later. Blood samples obtained from the participants were analyzed for plasma zinc concentrations. Bone mineral densities were measured at the beginning of the study, then at 4 years. Food frequency questionnaires obtained from the participants were analyzed for zinc intake (diet plus supplements).
The researchers reported that dietary zinc intake and plasma zinc levels were lower in men with osteoporosis of the hip and spine, compared to the men without osteoporosis. Findings also revealed that participants with plasma zinc levels in the lowest quarter had significantly lower bone mineral density values compared to those with higher plasma zinc levels. "To our knowledge, the present study is the first study associating plasma zinc concentrations with BMD in elderly men," the study authors write. "Clinical trials will be necessary to unravel the potential independent role of zinc in osteoporosis."
Posted by Kristopher Foster on February 16, 2006 04:57 PM
