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Updated: May 17, 2026
Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 16, 2019
Evidence of zinc deficiency in competitive swimmers
Flávia Giolo De Carvalho1, Flávia Troncon Rosa, Vivian Marques Miguel Suen
1Department of Food and Nutrition, State University of São Paulo, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. flaviagiolo@gmail.com
Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional zinc (Zn) status of elite swimmers during different training periods.
Methods:
A longitudinal paired study was performed at the University of Sao Paulo in eight male swimmers 18 to 25 y old who had been swimming competitively at the state and national levels for at least 5 y. The swimmers were evaluated over a total period of 14 wk: before the basic and specific preparatory period (BSPP-baseline), at the end of the basic and specific preparatory period (post-BSPP), and at the end of the polishing period (PP). Levels of Zn were determined in the plasma, erythrocyte, urine, and saliva by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Anthropometric measurements and a 3-d food record were also evaluated.
Results:
The median plasma Zn concentration was below the reference value in all training periods (BSPP-baseline 59 μg/dL, post-BSPP 55.9 μg/dL, after PP 58.8 μg/dL, P > 0.05), as were threshold values for erythrocytes (BSPP-baseline 36.5 μg of Zn/g of hemoglobin, post-BSPP 42 μg of Zn/g of hemoglobin, after PP 40.7 μg of Zn/g of hemoglobin, P > 0.05), urinary Zn (BSPP-baseline 280 μg/24 h, post-BSPP 337 μg/24 h, after PP 284 μg/24 h, P > 0.05), and salivary Zn (BSPP-baseline 66.1 μg/L, post-BSPP 54.1 μg/L, after PP 79.7 μg/L, P > 0.05). Salivary Zn did not correlate with plasma and erythrocyte Zn levels.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that the elite swimmers studied presented a possible Zn deficiency and that salivary Zn was not adequate to evaluate the Zn nutritional status.
