Relationship between adiposity-related biomarkers and calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc in young adult men with different degrees of obesity

Abstract

Introduction: Several minerals have been reported to be involved in the mechanism of action of biomarkers such as adipokines that have been known to be associated with adiposity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between 5 minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc) and adiposity-related biomarkers such as blood pressure, blood lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in young men with different levels of adiposity Methods: A total of 48 male college students aged between 18 and 27 years were classified into three groups, depending on the degree of adiposity: normal group, 17 subjects; overweight group, 14 subjects; and adiposity group, 17 subjects. Anthropometric measurements were obtained and a dietary intake survey to determine the intake levels of the 5 elements was conducted. Blood samples were also collected to analyze the serum levels of the 5 minerals as well as levels of serum lipids, CRP, adiponectin, and TNF-alpha. Results: The mean ages in the normal, overweight, and adiposity groups were 20.47, 21.86, and 22.06 years, respectively; the daily energy intake in each group was 2039.29, 1989.93, and 1919.61 kcal, respectively, with no significant differences among the three groups. In addition, there were no significant differences among the three groups with respect to the intake and serum levels of minerals as well as adiposity-related biomarkers. When the body mass index of all subjects was adjusted while analyzing the correlation between serum minerals and adiposity-related biomarkers, significantly positive correlations between serum calcium and systolic blood pressure, serum iron and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and serum zinc and TNF-alpha were found. However, serum copper showed a significantly negative correlation with low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Conclusion: In young adult men, serum calcium, iron, copper, and zinc were found to be related with adiposity-related biomarkers.