Calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from acute myocardial infarction in Taiwan

Many studies have examined the association between cardiovascular disease mortality and water hardness. However, the results have not been consistent. This report examines whether calcium and magnesium in drinking water are protective against acute myocardial infarction (AMI). All eligible AMI deaths (10,094 cases) of Taiwan residents from 1994 to 2003 were compared with deaths from other causes (10,094 controls), and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water of these residents were determined. Data on calcium and magnesium levels in drinking water throughout Taiwan have been obtained from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation. The control group consisted of people who died from other causes and the controls were pair matched to the cases by sex, year of birth, and year of death. The adjusted odd ratios (95% confidence interval) were 0.79 (0.73-0.86) for the group with water calcium levels between 25.1 and 42.4 mg/L and 0.71 (0.65-0.77) for the group with calcium levels of 42.6 mg/L or more. After adjustment for calcium levels in drinking water, there was no difference between the groups with different levels of magnesium. The results of the present study show that there is a significant protective effect of calcium intake from drinking water on the risk of death from AMI.     

生活饮用水中铁锰检测实验室能力评价

目的 用外部质量控制考核方法评价各实验室铁、锰检测能力.方法 将全部实验室分成3组,每组约60个实验室,分割水平样品对设计,采用稳健统计方法结合专家评议对实验室能力进行评价.结果 全国30个省(直辖市、自治区)的180个实验室参加了本次能力验证,获得满意结果的有127家,占70.56%,可疑结果的有16家,占8.88%,不满意结果的有37家,占20.56%;建委系统实验室满意率最高为83.3%;东中西部地区实验室满意率分别为71.75%、71.42%和66.67%.除水利系统实验室外,参加考核的6个行业实验室铁锰检测能力差异无统计学意义;东中西部参加能力验证的实验室铁锰检测能力差异无统计学意义.结论 参加本次能力验证的实验室,大多数具有铁和锰检测能力.     

Calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron balances in young women: effects of a low-phytate barley-fiber concentrate.

The effects of a low-phytate barley-fiber concentrate on calcium, magnesium, and zinc balances and on apparent iron absorption were measured by balance experiments. During the three experimental periods of 22 d each, all subjects consumed the basal diet alone, the basal diet with 15 g barley fiber (high-fiber, high-protein diet), and a modified basal diet containing less protein with 15 g barley fiber (high-fiber, low-protein diet), respectively. The mean daily intake of the cations was 24.4, 25.4, and 22.9 mmol Ca; 10.4, 10.1, and 10.0 mmol Mg; 165.2, 166.8, and 119.3 mumol Zn; and 154.0, 186.2, and 154.0 mumol Fe, respectively. Mean balances were 0.2, 1.9, and -0.8 mmol Ca; 0.3, -0.2; and -0.5 mmol Mg; 3.0, -4.6, and -18.4 mumol Zn. The mean apparent iron absorption was 16.1, 5.4, and -23.2 mumol when these three diets, respectively, were consumed.     

Cardiovascular mortality and calcium and magnesium in drinking water: an ecological study in elderly people

Background: Previous studies found relations between cardiovascular mortality and minerals in drinking water, but the major works considered water hardness or neglected the differences between adults and elderly. Drinking water is an important source of calcium in the elderly particularly because of increased needs and decreased consumption of dairy products. Methods: We collected informations about all deaths (14,311) occurring in 69 parishes of the South–West of France during 7 years (1990–1996). We obtained the causes of deaths from a special service of INSERM for each death, with age at death and sex. The exposure value was supplied by administrative source (DDASS) and by measurement surveys. We use an extra-Poisson variation model to take into account the heterogeneity of the population of these parishes. Results: A significant relationship was observed between calcium and cardiovascular mortality with a RR: 0.90 for non-cerebrovascular causes and RR: 0.86 for cerebrovascular (when calcium is higher than the second tercile: 94 mg/l). We found a protective effect of magnesium concentrations between 4 and 11 mg/l with a RR: 0.92 for non-cerebrovascular and RR: 0.77 for cerebrovascular mortality, as compared to concentrations lower than 4 mg/l. Conclusions: These findings strongly suggest a potential protective dose-effect relation between calcium in drinking water and cardiovascular causes. For magnesium, a U-shape effect is possible, especially for cerebrovascular mortality.     

养老机构老年人健康状况及服务需求调查

目的 比较养老机构与居家老年人的健康需求,为养老机构的创新照护提供依据.方法 采用健康自测量表(SRHMS)对云南省昆明市10所养老机构中>60岁的289名老年人进行测查,并选择526名居家老年人作为对照.结果 养老机构老年人患痴呆7.99%、活动受限37.37%、自理困难11.76%,分别是对照组的10.5,3.5,6.8倍(P<0.01);养老机构老年人月收入<800元占56.34%、无医保占27.53%,年医药支出>6 000元占29.02%;对照组分别为44.66%,20.69%和9.96%,2组差异有统计学意义,而年门诊>5次仅占38.75%,低于对照组47.91%(P<0.05);养老机构老年人期望能治疗康复、尊老敬老、有生活保障、健康长寿的分别占19.38%,12.45%,29.07%和33.56%,分别是对照的8.5,5.1,3.3和2.9倍(P<0.01).结论 养老机构老年人有更高的病残和康复需求,健康照护亟待改善.     

Physical training and copper, iron, and zinc status of swimmers

The influence of physical training on copper, iron, and zinc nutriture was studied before and at the end of a competitive season in 16 female and 13 male swimmers and in 13 female and 15 nontraining control subjects. Mean daily energy, protein, and carbohydrate intakes increased (p less than 0.05) in the swimmers. Estimated copper, iron, and zinc intakes increased (p less than 0.05) in the male swimmers. Hematocrit and hemoglobin did not change but ferritin increased (p less than 0.05) in male swimmers. Plasma copper, iron and zinc were within the ranges of normal values and did not change. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased (p less than 0.01) after training. The findings indicate that copper, iron, and zinc nutriture is not adversely affected by physical training when dietary intakes are adequate, and that increases in red blood cell SOD activity without an increase in dietary copper are a functional adaptation of copper metabolism to aerobic training.     

Iron, zinc and copper status in the elderly living in Warsaw district determined by hair analysis

The aim of this study was to assess the iron, zinc and copper status of elderly people using hair trace element levels determined by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The samples of hair were taken in May-June 1999 from 73 people aged 75-80 years (50 men and 23 women) living in Warsaw district. The mean content of iron was 17.32 +/- 12.38 micrograms/g dry weight, zinc 176.44 +/- 64.33 micrograms/g d.w. and copper 11.25 +/- 6.32 micrograms/g d.w. Although these values were in range of reference intervals almost 40% of population had iron and zinc level below them, and for copper the result was even worse (50% of the elderly people). No significant differences between trace element content in hair of male and female have been observed. However it has revealed a trend that female hair contained less iron and more zinc than male hair. The mean copper level was similar for both sexes. It has been found that subject who had not excluded any food products from their diets had higher hair iron contents than those with some dietetic restrictions.     

500例儿童铜锌钙镁铁检测结果分析

目的 通过对500例儿童血样的5种元素进行检测,评价儿童血中微量元素的水平.方法 对500例儿童血样采用BH-5100五通道原子吸收光谱仪检测血锌、铁、钙、铜和镁的含量,并进行统计分析.结果 500例儿童血样中5种微量元素普遍缺乏,其中铁缺乏严重,占65.8%;其他缺乏的元素依次分别为:锌(44.4%)、钙(27.0%)、铜(16.4%)、镁(12.6%).铁缺乏率在不同的年龄组之间比较有极显著性差异(χ2=14.12,P<0.01),其他微量元素的缺乏率在不同年龄组中无显著性差异(均P>0.05).结论 乌鲁木齐市儿童铁缺乏严重,在临床诊断和治疗中应予以重视.     

Health status of people aged 75-80 living in Warsaw and its regions

Chosen health related problems of elderly aged 75-80 years, living in Warsaw region, were analyzed. Almost 32% of respondents perceived their health as poor or very poor, and 84% declared suffering from chronic diseases (mainly cardiovascular, leg problems and hypertensive). Almost 70% of respondents used medicines, the most frequently used medicines were antihypertensives, nitroglicerine and diuretics. Almost 30% of the examined persons had BMI > or = 30 kg/m2. More than 83% of respondents used the glasses, but only 5% used hearing-aid. More women than men had high level of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.     

Calcium,iron and zinc uptakes by Caco-2 cells from white beans and effect of cooking

White beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) have an interesting content of essential elements, calcium, iron and zinc, but they content also phytates, oxalates, proteins, polyyphenols and complex polysaccharides that are known to interact with minerals and to affect their bioavailability. The bioavailability of calcium, iron and zinc from raw and cooked white beans was estimated using their uptake by Caco-2 cells as the criteria. Previously, the mineral fraction (soluble or dialysable) to be added to the Caco-2 cell monolayer was selected. The results obtained show that cooking increases the Caco-2 cells’ uptake percentages (calcium, 18.8 versus 3.6; iron, 33.7 versus 1.7; and zinc, 17.2 versus 2.1) and improved the value of beans as a dietetic source of minerals.     

Daily intake of magnesium and calcium from drinking water in relation to myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: A decreased risk for cardiovascular disease has been related to the hardness of drinking water, particularly high levels of magnesium. However, the evidence is still uncertain, especially in relation to individual intake from water. METHODS: We used data from the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program, a population-based case-control study conducted during 1992-1994, to study the association between myocardial infarction and the daily intake of drinking water magnesium and calcium. Our analyses are based on 497 cases age 45-70 years, and 677 controls matched on age, sex, and hospital catchment area. Individual data on magnesium, calcium, and hardness of the domestic drinking water were assessed from waterwork registers or analyses of well water. RESULTS: After adjustment for the matching variables and smoking, hypertension, socioeconomic status, job strain, body mass index, diabetes, and physical inactivity, the odds ratio for myocardial infarction was 1.09 (95% confidence interval = 0.81-1.46) associated with a tap water hardness above the median (>4.4 German hardness degrees) and 0.88 (0.67-1.15) associated with a water magnesium intake above the median (>1.86 mg/d). There was no apparent sign of any exposure-response pattern related to water intake of magnesium or calcium. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support previous reports of a protective effect on myocardial infarction associated with consumption of drinking water with higher levels of hardness, magnesium, or calcium.     

Calcium, iron and zinc uptakes by Caco-2 cells from white beans and effect of cooking

White beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) have an interesting content of essential elements, calcium, iron and zinc, but they content also phytates, oxalates, proteins, polyyphenols and complex polysaccharides that are known to interact with minerals and to affect their bioavailability. The bioavailability of calcium, iron and zinc from raw and cooked white beans was estimated using their uptake by Caco-2 cells as the criteria. Previously, the mineral fraction (soluble or dialysable) to be added to the Caco-2 cell monolayer was selected. The results obtained show that cooking increases the Caco-2 cells' uptake percentages (calcium, 18.8 versus 3.6; iron, 33.7 versus 1.7; and zinc, 17.2 versus 2.1) and improved the value of beans as a dietetic source of minerals.     

Hydroxypropyl-distarch phosphate from Tapioca starch reduces zinc and iron absorption, but not calcium and magnesium absorption, in rats

Male rats were fed a fiber-free, purified diet containing either gelatinized tapioca starch that was not modified chemically (TS, 50 g/kg diet) or gelatinized chemically modified tapioca starch (CMS, 50 g/kg) for 21 d. TS was used as the control. The six kinds of gelatinized hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (HDP) from tapioca with two different degrees of substitution (DS) and three different degrees of cross-linking (DC) were used as CMS sources. The wet weight and moisture of fecal output of the rats fed HDP with higher DS were 100 and 20% greater than that in the control rats, respectively. The weights of cecal wall and cecal contents were also 30 and 50% higher in the rats fed HDP with higher DS than those in the control rats. The pH of the cecal contents was more acidic in the rats fed HDP with higher DS than that in the control rats. Fecal excretion of bile acids was 40% higher in the rats fed HDP with higher DS than in the control rats. These effects of HDP were only slightly affected by the DC. The plasma cholesterol concentration was 16% lower in the rats fed HDP with higher DS and highest DC than in the control rats. The concentrations of liver lipids and plasma triglycerides and the cecal pool of organic acids were not affected by diet. The apparent absorptions of Ca and Mg were not affected by diet, but those of Zn and Fe were 75 and 70% lower in the rats fed HDP with higher DS than in the control rats. These results suggest that the physiological effects of HDP depend on the DS but not on the DC.     

西安市学龄前儿童锌钙铜镁营养状况及体格发育的调查

对456名3～6岁健康儿童身高、体重与血清Zn、Ca、Cu、Mg含量的相关分析表明，身高或体重＜x、＜x－s、＜x－2s三组儿童血清Zn含量显著低于≥x组；在血Zn＜15．3μmol／L、Ca＜2．73mmol／L范围内，身高与血清Zn、Ca存在一定关系。补锌后伴随Zn营养状况改善，儿童身高、体重的增长加快，血Ca水平也明显提高。提示对身高、体重增长较差的学龄前儿童要注意Zn、Ca元素的补充。     

Nutritional status of adolescent girls in regard to zinc, copper, and iron

Adolescent girls in the sixth through eight grades were surveyed for dietary intake and nutritional status in regard to zinc, copper, and iron in both the fall of 1975 and the spring of 1976. The adolescents (183 girls in the fall and 184 girls in the spring) consumed on the average 60 and 75% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for iron and zinc, respectively. The mean concentration of zinc in hair samples was 216 +/- 64 microgram/g in the fall and 191 +/- 36 microgram/g in the spring. The mean concentration of copper in hair samples was 31 +/- 23 microgram/g. None of the girls had a concentration of zinc in their hair samples of less than 100 microgram/g. Hair concentrations of zinc anc copper were significantly correlated, but serum and hair concentrations of zinc were inversely correlated. However, in subsample of 102 girls, 3% has serum zinc levels below 70 microgram/100 ml and 4% had serum copper levels below 70 microgram/100 ml. Only 1% of the subjects had a hematocrit below 36%. No significant difference in any of these parameters was noted between girls who had experienced menarche and those who had not.     

Quality of drinking water from ponds in villages of Kolleru Lake region

Kolleru Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the districts of East and West Godavari of Andhra Pradesh. The major population centres in the Kolleru Lake region are the 148 villages of which 50 bed villages and 98 belt villages. All bed and belt villages in lake region have at least one drinking water pond. Drinking water ponds are filled with lake water during monsoon season and directly supplied to the public throughout the year. The water samples were collected from village drinking water ponds in a year by covering three seasons and analysed for different physico-chemical parameters to assess the quality of drinking water.     

湖北麻城市老年人农业伤害流行特征及影响因素

目的了解湖北省麻城市老年人农业伤害的流行特征,分析老年人农业伤害发生影响因素。方法采用多阶段分层整群抽样方法,对湖北省麻城市772名农村≥60岁老年人进行面对面的访谈调查,运用SAS 8.2 软件进行统计分析。结果老年人农业伤害发生率为13.47%,伤害原因主要是跌落伤(40.38%);多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,身心健康状况(OR=1.75,95%CI=1.08~2.84)、家中农药存放方式(OR=1.87,95%CI=1.04~3.37)、喷洒农药时穿长裤、袜、鞋(OR=0.50,95%CI=0.30~0.82)是老年人农业伤害的影响因素;喷洒农药时吸烟(OR=2.51,95%CI=1.07~5.93)是老年男性农业伤害的危险因素;而饮酒(OR=2.87,95%CI=1.16~7.09)是老年女性农业伤害发生的危险因素。结论老年人农业伤害发生率较高,需分别针对男女性老年人进行农业伤害预防的宣传教育,可控制老年人伤害的发生。     

Nutritional status in anorexia nervosa: clinical chemistry, vitamins, iron and zinc

Routine clinical chemical variables and parameters of the vitamin, iron and zinc status were measured in 20 female patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in 10 lean and 10 normal weight, healthy, female control subjects. Patients with AN had higher activities of L-gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and a higher concentration of prealbumin in serum and lower leucocyte and lymphocyte counts in blood. For the other routine clinical chemical parameters no significant differences between the groups were observed. AN patients had higher serum vitamin B12 and retinol levels. No significant differences were found for the status parameters of thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, vitamin E and vitamin D. Contradictory results were obtained for the riboflavin status: AN patients had a lower level of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in blood and a lower stimulation ratio of the glutathione reductase activity in erythrocytes (alpha-EGR). Patients with AN had higher serum ferritin concentration and lower total iron binding capacity (TIBC). However, haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (Ht) and iron saturation were not significantly different. No significant difference was found in the concentration of zinc in plasma. In spite of the poor intake of nutrients and energy, the results obtained did not indicate an inadequate status of vitamins, iron and zinc in patients with AN.     

Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus status of elderly inpatients: dietary intake, metabolic balance studies and biochemical status

The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus status of a group of elderly inpatients was studied by use of duplicate meal analysis over a 5 d period and biochemical indices in twenty-one patients, and metabolic balance (5 d) in six of these. Mean daily Ca intake was lower than that of apparently healthy elderly subjects in metabolic equilibrium, although commensurate with present UK recommendations. Metabolic balance was negative for Ca. Mean daily Mg intake was approximately half the US recommendation, and half the intake at which metabolic balance has been observed in healthy elderly people. The five patients studied were in metabolic balance for Mg. Mean daily P intake was close to the UK recommendation, but negative metabolic balance was observed. The disparity between official recommendations for Ca-intake, factors contributing to suboptimal Ca status, and measures that may improve Ca status in this group are discussed.     

晕船对血清钙、磷、镁、铁、铜、锌的影响

目的探讨晕船对血清钙、磷、镁、铁、铜、锌的影响.方法以30名20～22岁男学员为研究对象,用全自动生化分析仪及原子吸收分光光度计测定出航前与晕船发生后的血清钙、磷、镁、铁、铜、锌.结果出航前受试者血清钙、磷、镁、锌、铁的含量依次为(2.17±0.03)、(0.88±0.03)、(0.93±0.01)mmol/L、(10.60±0.33)、(20.48±0.96)μmol/L,航行时,晕船发生后上述血清元素浓度分别为(2.44±0.08)、(1.42±0.05)、(1.13±0.03)mmol/L、(11.98±0.44)、(9.68±0.66)μmol/L,统计学比较差异有显著性;血清铜含量在航行前后分别为(14.29±1.10)和(13.67±0.56)μmol/L,无统计学差异.结论晕船对血清矿物质含量有显著影响,表现为血清钙、磷、镁、锌升高,血清铁下降,血清铜含量变化不显著.