URINARY EXCRETION OF ZINC, CHROMIUM, COBALT AND MANGANESE IN HEALTHY ADULTS

Background: It is speculated that trace elements might have specific roles in the pathogenesis and progressiontowards type-2 diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to determine the urinary excretion of zinc,chromium, cobalt and manganese in healthy adults.Material Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, KhyberMedical University, Peshawar, Pakistan from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2013. Sample size was 200 individualsselected through convenient technique from seven divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provence. All adults healthywere eligible for inclusion in the study, while those with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronaryheart diseases, pregnancy, endocrine disorders and malignancies were excluded from the study. Relevant historywas recorded on a structured performa. Demographic variables were gender and age in years. Research variableswere levels of urine zinc, chromium, manganese and cobalt. All were numeric variables except gender beingnominal. Frequencies percentages for nominal mean/ sds for numeric variables were calculated.Results: The mean age of the subjects was 33.39±9.62 years. Out of 200 individuals, 104 were males 96females. Urinary excretion of zinc (Zn),chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co) and manganese (Mn) in males was 3.05+2.75mg/L, 0.89+0.69 μg/L, 1.75+1.48 μg/L and 0.04+0.02 μg/L respectively. While in females urinary excretion of Znwas 3.16+2.84 mg/L, Cr 0.82+0.63 μg/L, Co 1.73+1.19 μg/L and Mn was 0.03 +0.02 μg/L.Conclusion: Urinary excretion of zinc, chromium, cobalt and manganese in healthy adults need to be monitoredproperly to avoid health problems in future.