Association between serum zinc levels and basic physical functioning: secondary data analysis of NHANES 2011-14.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Serum zinc (Zn) levels have been shown to be associated with functional status; however, it is not clear whether this association differs by other sociodemographic characteristics. We examined the association between serum Zn levels and physical functioning difficulty in a representative sample of older adults in the US.

Design and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on participants 50 years and older from the 2011-12 and 2013-14 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (n = 1136). Serum Zn levels were analyzed as tertiles. The main outcome of interest was physical functioning difficulty, defined as self-reported difficulty of basic physical functioning that included walking, transferring, dressing, and feeding.

Results

Mean Zn levels (SE

SUBMITTER: Gau JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8504005 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature