Effects of Dietary Folate and Phytate Zinc Absorption: Zinc Amino Acid Complexes vs. Zinc-chloride

Comparison of the Effects of Dietary Folate and Phytate on the Absorption of Zinc From Either Zinc-amino Acids (ZnAA) or Zinc-chloride (ZnCl2)

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of consuming a small breakfast of juice and toast with added phytate or with taking a folic acid supplement on the absorption of a small amount of zinc that is either bound to amino acids or to chloride or picolinate. The results of this study will provide new information on how components of diet (e.g., phytate, and folic acid) affect the absorption of different forms of dietary zinc (e.g., zinc bound to amino acids, zinc chloride, and zinc picolinate).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Apparently healthy men (i.e., have no current health issues requiring medications or a specific diet), 19 to 50 years of age, with a body mass index between 18 and 30 kg/m2, and willing to eat only the foods provided by the study for 17 days

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those reporting current chronic or acute diseases or HIV diagnosis, food allergies, smoking tobacco or marijuana, alcohol abuse, any contraindication to venipuncture such as bleeding disorders or use of blood thinners; use of illicit drugs; regular consumption of medications, micronutrient supplements, or both. Vegetarians, or those unable to eat meat, are also excluded since the foods for the study contain meat.