Serum Zinc and Metabolic Health Status in Siblings of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

There is increasing evidence on the association between lower serum zinc levels and metabolically unhealthy status in normal weight individuals'. Our aim was to investigate serum zinc levels in a sample of siblings of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to ascertain its relation with metabolic syndrome components. Serum zinc was determined in 331 apparently healthy individuals, 201 were siblings of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) and 130 individuals with negative family history of diabetes (healthy controls), with age range 20-40 years. The association between components of metabolic syndrome and serum zinc levels was examined. The siblings of patients with type2 DM exhibited significantly lower serum zinc levels than did the healthy controls (94.1±20.8 ug/dl vs. 103.2±15.6 ug/dl, p=0.012). The mean serum zinc levels were lower in siblings exhibited higher levels of waist circumference, fasting blood glucose and triglycerides. Those categorized as metabolically obese, normal weight (MONW) exhibited lower serum zinc levels than did the non-MONW, but the difference was not significant (93.7+20.9 ug/dl vs. 96.2+18.1ug/dl, p=0.059). The correlation between serum zinc levels and fasting blood glucose was inverse among the siblings (r=- 0.233, p=0.001). A low zinc status is present in 13.9% of the siblings of patients with type 2 DM, particularly among MONW individuals. This finding may have clinical implications due to the increased risk of future metabolic disease.