Serum, Leucocyte, Sweat and Hair Zinc Levels—a Correlational Study

Age-related decreases in chromium levels in 51,665 hair, sweat, and serum samples from 40,872 patients--implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes mellitus

This report shows, for the first time using modern analytical techniques, highly significant age-related decreases in chromium levels in 51,665 hair, sweat, and serum samples obtained from 40,872 patients referred by their physicians to an independent medical research clinic and laboratory (r = -.598 to -.762, P < .0001 for all correlations). Males were found to have significantly lower mean chromium levels than females (P < .05 to .0001). There was good correlation between chromium levels in hair, sweat, and serum (r = .536 to .729, P < .0001 for all correlations), indicating that hair and sweat chromium levels are valid additions to the serum levels in assessing chromium status. Chromium measurements in sweat, hair, and serum were performed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The influences that age-related decreases in chromium levels might have on increasing the risk to develop age-related impaired glucose metabolism, disordered lipid metabolism, coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and type II diabetes mellitus are outlined, and the role that refined carbohydrates play in the development of compromised chromium status is presented.

Zinc concentration in serum and leucocytes in chronic inflammatory diseases

In connection with inflammatory diseases of various origins an increasing amount of research has been directed towards trace elements, in particular zinc. However, proving changes in the zinc concentration of organisms or single cells still encounters major methodological difficulties. This is also probably the reason why many of the research findings to be found in current publications still significantly differ from one another. The present study utilizes a novel leucocyte-preparation method, which proved to be very reliable as regards the constancy of measured values. Thus, results obtained in 1989 which show a significant decrease in leucocyte zinc concentrations of patients with Crohn's disease were confirmed (1) as well as extended to the clinical pictures of Colitis ulcerosa and chronic pancreatitis of ethylic origin by studying a group of patients. Significant changes in serum zinc levels could not be proved. There was also no correlation between the leucocyte zinc concentrations and the serum zinc concentrations, on the one hand and the clinical parameters C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), body weight, humeral muscle area as well as activity of the disease, on the other.