Consumo de Zinco por adolescentes em fase puberal: associação com Hemoglobina glicada

The present study aimed to associate zinc consumption with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of pubertal adolescents living in Recife / Pernambuco. This is a cross-sectional study, linked to the national project "Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents" - ERICA. For this sample, 1075 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, regularly enrolled in the morning shift from public and private schools in Recife / PE, were evaluated. To assess the nutritional status of the adolescents, weight and height measurements were collected by previously trained raters and the BMI / Age-by-sex indicator was used for the diagnosis of overweight. All the independent variables were referred by the adolescents through the application of a questionnaire encompassing questions regarding demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle data of adolescents. The levels of HbA1c were analyzed, where values equal to or greater than 5.7% were classified as altered HbA1c. Food consumption was obtained by applying a single 24-hour Reminder (R24hs) face-to-face, with the median (P50) of zinc consumption being considered as the main variable. The final sample was representative for 99,221 people, with 50.4% being male, where 29.2% were above the recommended weight according to BMI. Regarding HbA1c levels, 16.7% of the total of youngsters presented changes in the parameter concentrations, where 11.3% of those without excess weight were Hb1Ac at undesirable levels, while 5.4% of overweight adolescents maintained the same change (p = 0.4962). There was no statistically significant association between zinc consumption and HbA1 c levels. Based on the above, zinc consumption was not associated with HbA1c in the adolescents evaluated. The important percentage of young people with changes in the dosages of the glycemic parameter and with excess weight is highlighted. The conduction of this research allows the implantation of strategies that encourage the health promotion of this population group, stimulating the maintenance of weight and the conduction of adequate eating habits from the early stages of life.