ABSTRACT
Disturbances of zinc [Zn] homeostasis have been associated with several diseases including diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to compare the serum level of zinc in diabetic type 2 patients with those of non-diabetic control subjects. In this cross-sectional study, 35 diabetic patients referred to the Rafsanjan Diabetes Clinic and 35 healthy non-diabetic controls were selected using simple random sampling method. Both groups aged >/= 30 and had a similar gender distribution. A pre-designed questionnaire was completed for each participant. A fasting blood sample was individually drawn for fasting blood sugar [FBS] and Zn measurement. The data was then analysed using student's t test. Results of this study demonstrated that the difference in mean serum level of zinc between the two groups was statistically significant, 10.58 +/- 2.27 micro/dl for patient group versus 16.62 +/- 5.04 micro g/dl for control group [p=0.001]. There were no marked differences in terms of age and gender distribitions except that for the FBS level. Our findings showed that the serum level of Zn in the diabetic patients is lower than control group. Further studies are warranted to determine whether zinc supplementation can be used as an adjunct in diabetes management