Although it has been proposed that trace minerals have anti-oxidative functions and are related to the control of blood pressure, only a limited number of studies directly address the issue. Thus, the purpose of our study was to assess the intake of copper and manganese, which are trace minerals, and to clarify their relation to blood pressure. In a cross-sectional study, the blood pressure of 640 normotensive adults, from 19 to 69 year-old (320 males and 320 females), was measured, and its correlation with the intake of copper and manganese was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall method. The average value of the blood pressure was 126.4/80.2 mmHg for the males and 117.8/75.8 mmHg for the females. The daily copper intake was 1.3 mg/day for the males and 1.2 mg/day for the females. For manganese, the daily intake was 4.2 mg/day for the males and 4.1 mg/day for the females. Although the copper intake of all subjects showed a positive correlation with the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, there was no significant correlation when the potential confounding factors were adjusted. The manganese intake of the male subjects had a significantly negative correlation with the systolic blood pressure after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, and energy intake. In conclusion, the daily manganese intake of the normotensitve adults showed a significantly negative correlation with the systolic blood pressure indicating a possibility of a positive effect of manganese on blood pressure.
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Adequate amounts of nutrients during pregnancy are essential for maternal, fetal and child health. This study was conducted to investigate the intakes of iron and folate and the effect of supplements on anemia status during pregnancy. One hundred sixty five pregnant women completed questionnaires which included food frequencies and supplement use, and blood tests for hematologic indices. Pregnant women were divided into four groups based on the type of supplements; single nutrient group (S), multivitamins & minerals group (M), Single nutrient + multivitamins & minerals group (S+M), and no supplement group (N). Mean iron intake was 11.1 mg from food (46.3% of Recommended Nutrient Intakes, RNIs) and 66.8 mg from supplements. Mean folate intake was 231.2 µg from food (38.5% of RNI) and 822.7 µg from supplements. In the N group, the subjects who consumed iron and folate less than EAR were 85.7% and 95.2%, respectively. The subjects consumed iron more than UL were 81.0% in the S group, 88.9% in the M group, and 97.4% in the S+M group, and the subjects consumed folate more than UL were 4.8% in the S group, 1.6% in the M group, and 25.6% in the S+M group. The mean values of hemoglobin and hemotocrit in the M group were significantly higher than those in the N group. Despite the relatively high socio-economic status of the participants, overall intakes of iron and folate from food were far below the RNIs, suggesting that a supplement is needed for adequate nutritional status during pregnancy. A multivitamin supplement seems to be more effective than a single nutrient supplement such as iron or folic acid in the prevention of anemia. Further research is required to define the appropriate amount of supplemental iron and folic acid for Korean pregnant women.
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