Assessment of minerals in biological fluids in people with obesity: A pilot study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Obesity is a multifactorial disease that can lead to nutritional metabolic disorders, in which the general state of trace elements and minerals are altered. Thus, research involving biological fluids to assess the metabolic nutritional status of minerals Manganese (Mn); Selenium (Se); Strontium (Sr); Zinc (Zn); Molybdenum (Mo); Copper (Cu); Iron (Fe); Calcium (Ca); Magnesium (Mg) and Chromium (Cr) are essential in people with obesity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of these trace elements and minerals in different biological fluids (plasma, erythrocytes, saliva, urine and tear) from people with and without obesity. Methods: The experimental sample consisted of 28 volunteers divided into two groups: Obesity Group (OG, n = 14) and Non-Obese (NO, n = 14), who were clinically evaluated by anthropometry, body composition and biochemical tests. Minerals were assessed in different biological fluids (plasma, erythrocyte, saliva, urine and tear) using the ICP-MS methodology. A significance level of 5% (p 0.05). Conclusion: Our study provides a better understanding of minerals concentrations in different biological fluids in people with obesity. Besides, this study may contribute to future identification of potential minerals biomarkers. However, considering our study's major limitation was its small sample size, caution should be taken when interpreting the results.

Keywords

• Trace elements
• Obesity
• Biomarkers
• Nutrition
• Minerals