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1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Nutrition of Essential Elements and Exposure to Toxic Elements in Populations of Developing Countries under Modernization.

Research Project

Project/Area Number 08670386
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Hygiene
Research InstitutionUniversity of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

UMEZAKI Masahiro  University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine, Research Associate, 大学院・医学系研究科, 助手 (30292725)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) NAKAZAWA Minato  University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine, Research Associate, 大学院・医学系研究科, 助手 (40251227)
HONGO Tetsuro  Yamanashi Institute of Environmental Sciences, Chief Researcher, 主幹研究員 (90199563)
Project Period (FY) 1996 – 1997
Keywordsdeveloping countries / Papua New Guinea / biological samples / essential elements / toxic elements / food consumption pattern / malaria prevalence / modernization
Research Abstract

Both deficiency of essential elements and excess exposure to toxic elements have long been concerned in relation to human health in the developed countries. For populations in developing countries, however, intake and exposure levels of trace elements have scarcely been evaluated in connection with their environmental factors which largely differ from those of the developed countries. Based on analyzes of biological samples(blood, hair, and urine)collected from several populations in Papua New Guinea, inter-population variations of nutritional status of essential elements and exposure levels of toxic elements were evaluated in connection with their environmental conditions, in particular, food consumption pattern, malaria prevalence, and degree of modernization. In the evaluations of zinc nutrition and iron nutrition connected with anemia, it was clarified that malaria infection had the important role to nutritional status of these essential elements and anemia. In addition, food consu … More mption pattern characterized by high dependency on plant foods also playd a significant influence in their trace element nutrition. The populations who keep more traditional lifestyle showed higher zinc intake. Iron nutrition was also sufficient in the most traditional populations and tended to be worsen among modernized populations. Among toxic elements, long-term exposure to methylmercury in fish eating populations was evaluated. Hair and blood mercury concentrations indicated that in heavy fisheating populations, although they are living in the areas remote from anthropogenic sources, methylmercury was accumulated to the level causing renal damage. On the other hand, urinary mercury level which was considered to be the indicator of exposure to inorganic or elemental mercury was increased to the levels of developed countries in modernizing populations. This study concludes that ecological conditions of each population play decisive roles in their intake and exposure levels of trace elements and that further analysis is needed to elucidate adverse effect of rapid modernization. Less

  • Research Products

    (4 results)

All Other

All Publications (4 results)

  • [Publications] Nakazawa, M.: "Iron nutrition and anaemia in a malaria-endemic environment:haematologi-cal investigation of the Gidra-speaking populatio in lowland Papua New Guinea." British Journal of Nutrition. 76・3. 333-346 (1996)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Hongo, T.: "Nutritional status of trace elem-ents in traditional populations inhabit-ing tropical lowland,Papua New Guinea." Fischer,P.W.F.,L'Abbe,M.R.,Cocke-ll,K.A.,and Gibson,R.S.(eds.)Trace Elem-ents in Man and Animals-9,NRC Research Press,Ottawa. 120-122 (1997)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Nakazawa, M.: "Iron nutrition and anaemia in a malaria-endemic environment : haematological investigation of the Gidraspeaking population in lowland Papua New Guinea." British Journal of Nutrition. 76(3). 333-346 (1996)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Hongo, T.: "Nutritional status of trace elements in traditional populations inhabiting tropical lowland, Papua New Guinea." Fischer, P.W.F., L'Abbe, M.R., Cockell, K.A., and Gibson, R.S.(eds.)Trace Elements in Man and Animals-9, NRC Research Press, Ottawa. 120-122 (1997)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 1999-03-16  

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