Epidemiological study of trace elements (Iron, Zinc, Copper, Chromium and Cobalt) in nails of sexually premature and matured boys

The role of trace elements and their importance in biological reaction have been extensively evaluated. In this study the amounts of five trace elements including; iron، zinc، copper، chromium and cobalt in nails of premature (PM) and matured (M) male pupils were measured and compared with BMI index. Forty five male premature pupils (averaged 10 years old) and 49 male matured pupils (averaged 17 years old) were randomly selected and by measuring their weight and height، BMI of each pupil was calculated. After that nail samples of each pupil were collected، washed، dried، weighted and then the amount (%) of iron، zinc، copper، chromium and cobalt measured in ash of nails by atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) method. The results showed that the number of pupils with low BMI is significantly (P<0. 001) higher in PM pupils than in M pupils. In PM and M boys there were not significant differences in iron، zinc، chromium and cobalt amounts between low BMI and normal BMI، except in the amount of copper which was significantly lower in low BMI boys than normal BMI boys (P<0. 05). Also M pupils have less amounts of iron، copper (P<0. 001) and zinc (P<0. 01) and more chromium (P<0. 05) than PM pupils. In conclusion it seems that، there is a probable correlation between the amount of copper and BMI. Also، from nutritional view، the alterations in the amount of iron، zinc، copper and chromium intake may affect the normal rapid growth during the premature and maturing periods.