Effects of Zinc Supplementation on Serum Zinc and C-Reactive Protein Concentrations in Hemodialysis Patients
published online 22 June 2009.
Objective
We examined the effects of zinc supplementation on serum zinc and C-reactive protein concentrations in hemodialysis patients.
Design
This was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Setting
This study was conducted at the Shahid Faghihi and Namazi Dialysis Centers in Shiraz, Iran.
Patients
Fifty-five hemodialysis patients (32 men and 23 women) participated after meeting the following criteria: zinc deficiency, treated for a minimum of 6 months; no record of hospitalizations in the preceding 3 months; and hemodialysis treatment 2 to 3 times per week.
Intervention
Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The zinc supplementation group (n=28) received a 220-mg zinc sulfate capsule, and the control group (n=27) received a placebo capsule (220mg corn starch), for 42 days.
Main Outcome Measures
Fasting, predialysis serum samples were collected on days 0 and 42 to determine serum zinc and C-reactive protein levels.
Results
After supplementation, subjects in the zinc-supplemented group showed significant increases in serum zinc concentrations, from 57.4±2.4 μg/dL SEM on day 0 to 88.4±4.8 μg/dL SEM on day 42. Serum C-reactive protein concentrations were initially high among subjects in the control (15.1±3.9mg/L SEM) and zinc-supplemented (13.5±3.8mg/L SEM) groups. Serum C-reactive protein concentrations in the control group increased throughout the study period, but did not reach statistical significance. A progressive decrease in serum C-reactive protein concentrations was observed in the zinc-supplemented group from the beginning (13.5±3.8mg/L SEM) to the end (10.5±3.5mg/L SEM) of the study, but this event was not significant.
Conclusion
Zinc supplementation intake may cause an increase in serum zinc concentrations, leading to a decrease of inflammation in hemodialysis patients.
∗School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
†Department of Nutrition, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
‡Department of Nephrology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Address reprint requests to Ali A. Rashidi, MS, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Ravand Blvd., Kashan, Iran 87159-85131.
This work was conducted at the Department of Nutrition, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
ABSTRACT