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MICROELEMENT MISBALANCE IN THE ELDERLY PEOPLE RESIDING IN THE NORTH REGIONS

Elena A. Lugovaya

Abstract

Climatic features and biogeochemical specificity of Russia?s north have a great impact on public health. It is believed that the cumulative effect of these factors is not fully compensated by social or other methods of protection. To identify the features of age-related changes in mineral metabolism in the inhabitants of Russia?s north, we studied concentrations of 25 chemical elements (Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na , Ni, P, Pb, Se, Si, Sn, Sr, V, Zn) in the hair samples taken from the back of the head using the inductively coupled plasma spectrometry method. Volunteers were persons over 60 years old residing in the city of Magadan (n = 52), the Chukotka Autonomous District (n = 34), the city of Arkhangelsk (n = 27) and the Karelia (n = 59). All the examinees found to have the so-called ?northern type? ME, with the traditional deficiency of elements of 1-2 degrees. These are deficits of Co (up to 80% in all the examined groups), Se (36%), Ca (30%), Mg (28%), and I (20%). However, it should be noted the regional characteristics associated with the biogeochemical heterogeneity of the environment. The most pronounced common deficit rates in the elderly residents of Magadan were typical of Cr (51%), K (32%), Se (24%), Si (24%), and Mg (21%). The excess was found for Na (32%), As (26%), Si (22%), and Mn (21%). 100% of the surveyed residents of Chukotka demonstrated an excess of Na and 94% of them were high in K. At the same time, a significant deficiency of the main vital bio-elements was found for Mg (81%), Fe (77%), Ca and Co (75%), Ca (46%), Cu (69%), Zn (50%), Mn (25%), an excess of Zn in 62% and P in 31% of the subjects. In the elderly and old residents of Arkhangelsk, we found a significant increase in K (52% of cases), Na (44%), P (26%), Zn (37%) with deficit in Ca (89%), Fe (37%), Mg (67%). Excess in Si and Cr was revealed only in 8% of the subjects, the rest values were within the age norm. The elemental portrait of the residents of Petrozavodsk of the older age groups indicated the development of significant deficient states in the elemental status for such essential elements as Co (85%), Ca (46%), Zn (63%), Mg (69%), I (59%), Fe (58%), P (40%), Cu (42%) and Mn (17%). Along with the deficit, an excess of elements was found for Mg (14%), P (10%), Cu (12%), and Mn (17%). Thus, a common North-specified profile of the inhabitants of Asian and European North can be considered the age-related formation of a general deficiency in elements, the development of many pathological conditions and the increasing need for trace elements such as Zn, Se, Cr, Cu, and Mn which play an important role in the activity of antioxidant, immune systems of the body, maintaining the process of the bone mineralization and regulation of carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/5.2/s20.066

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