Plasma retinol, thyroid stimulating hormone and zinc as predictors of bone mineral density status

Conflicting results on the association between serum retinol level and bone mineral density [BMD] have been published. Thyroid hormones are essential for skeletal development and have direct effect on bone formation and resorption. Bone has one of the highest concentrations of zinc of all tissues, and has been shown to release zinc during deficiency for soft tissue metabolism. The objective of this study was to assess the relation between plasma levels of retinol, thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH] and zinc and BMD of Egyptian adolescents and adults. The study was a part of a cross sectional national survey conducted by National Nutrition Institute. The sample was a multistage stratified random. Target individuals were classified into two age groups [10-

Nutrient intake among Egyptian school children

This study has been conducted to provide realistic information about the nutritional status of primary school children in Egypt. A sample of 3000 school children was selected from Cairo, Sharkia [representing Lower Egypt] and Qena [representing Upper Egypt]. Anthropometric measurements were done to assess the nutritional status. The results showed that 6.6% of the total sample were underweight, overweight was detected among 4.1%. Stunting represented 14.5% of the sample. Dietary history using 24-hour recall method was applied to calculate their nutrient intake. The results showed that mineral intake was greatly affected. The percent of mean intake as% of standard was 56.9% for vitamin A and 51.4 for iron. As regard other nutrient consumption, this percentage was 63.2% for zinc, 37.4% for selenium and 36.6% for iodine among school children. Only vitamin C was consumed in appropriate amounts. Therefore, it was recommended to develop an intervention program in the form of nutrition education and a proper school feeding program for supplementation to reduce this micronutrient deficiency among school children. This will improve the growth, work performance, learning ability and intellectual development for this important group