Relationships Between Hair Chemical Elements and Nutritional Status in Oldest-Old and Centenarian Populations

Abstract

Qiao Zhu,1,* Qingkai Zhao,2,* Ping Ping,3,* Qian Zhang,4,* Li Gong,5 Long Feng,6 Yali Zhao,1 Shihui Fu7,8 1Central Laboratory, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Health Medicine, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, People’s Republic of China; 3General Station for Drug Instrument Supervision and Control, Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Neurology, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Pathology, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Anesthesiology, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Cardiology, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Geriatric Cardiology, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shihui Fu, Department of Cardiology, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, Hainan, 572013, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Yali Zhao, Central Laboratory, Hainan Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Sanya, Hainan, 572013, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Hair chemical elements reflect physical condition over time. Collection, transporting, and storing hair is more convenient than handling blood. Hair elements show higher levels for a long time, which allows for more accurate and sensitive results than using blood. Studies explored the relationships between elements and age, without full consideration of nutritional status, in older people. This study explored the relationships between hair chemical elements and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in oldest-old and centenarian populations to provide an updated reference for nutritional evaluation of older people.Methods: A total of 152 participants over 80 years old underwent home interviews and physical examinations. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer was used to detect hair chemical elements.Results: Women accounted for 77.0% of participants. Women had lower levels of zinc, and higher levels of selenium, manganese, lead, iron, and copper than men (P< 0.05 for all). Ninety-two participants formed the 80– 99 year group, and 60 participants formed the 100+ year group. Centenarians had lower levels of selenium, lead, iron, and copper than those aged 80– 99 years (P< 0.05 for all). Hair selenium levels were positively associated with GNRI (odds ratio: 11.55, 95% confidence interval: 3.42– 19.68, P < 0.05) based on a multivariate linear regression analysis. Other chemical elements had no significant associations with GNRI based on a multivariate linear regression analysis.Conclusion: Chemical elements and nutrient status were altered based on age and gender, and an association existed between hair selenium and nutritional status in older people. Chemical elements may influence and indicate nutritional status in older people.Keywords: centenarian, oldest-old, hair chemical elements, nutritional status, selenium

Keywords

• centenarian
• oldest-old
• hair chemical elements
• nutritional status
• selenium