Serum Zinc Levels in Early Life and Risk of Elevated Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: An 8-Year Prospective Study.

Authors

Zahra Bahadoran, Farhad Hosseinpanah, Pooneh Dehghan, Fereidoun Azizi

Published in

Cardiovascular toxicology. Volume 26. Issue 7. Jun 25, 2026. Epub Jun 25, 2026.

Abstract

The association between serum zinc (SZn) concentration in adolescence-early adulthood and the risk of elevated carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in adulthood was investigated. A total of 519 participants (12-29 years) from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study with complete baseline data (2009-2011), including SZn concentrations, were recruited and followed through 2015-2018. CIMT was measured using high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography, and high-CIMT was defined as values above the sex-specific 90th percentile (i.e., 0.65 mm for men, 0.70 mm for women). Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between baseline SZn and high-CIMT, considering SZn both as a continuous variable (per SD) and in tertiles [< 90, 90-120 (reference), ≥ 120 µg/dL), adjusted for potential confounders. Over a median follow-up of 8.6 years, 10.0% of participants developed high CIMT (7.0% of men, and 12.5% of women). Mean baseline age was 21.1 ± 4.2 years, mean SZn was 116 ± 49.2 µg/dL, and 23.9% were zinc deficient (18.7% of men, and 28.0% of women). In multivariable logistic regression models, each 50 µg/dL increase in baseline SZn was associated with a 43% lower odds of high CIMT at follow-up, although the association did not reach conventional statistical significance (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.0.32-1.01, P = 0.056). Participants in the highest compared to the lowest SZn tertile (≥ 120 vs. <90 µg/dL) showed a 63% lower odds of high-CIMT (HR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.14-1.00, P = 0.050). Higher SZn levels in adolescence-early adulthood may be associated with high-CIMT in adulthood, highlighting the potential importance of adequate zinc status for early-life vascular health.

PMID:
42348031
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Jun 2026.

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