The objective of study was to evaluate the daily intake of Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe, and compare these minerals in terms of their concentration in the scalp hair of 90 elderly women. The mineral intake was calculated as the difference between the food rations served and the uneaten food residue. The women consumed similar amounts of Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, and Fe. In women over 85 years of age, there was an explicitly proportional, statistically significant relationship between the BMI and Ca content in hair, while in women aged 75-84, such a relationship was between the BMI and the level of copper in hair. A higher copper intake in the DFR significantly influenced lower levels of magnesium in the hair of the oldest women, while in the group of youngest women there was a significant, inversely proportional relationship between the calcium intake from the DFR and the zinc content in hair. A similar relationship was observed in this group between the consumption of zinc in the DFR and the calcium content in hair. The mean Ca/Mg, Zn/Cu, Zn/Fe, and Fe/Cu ratios in the hair of all subjects were as follows: 19.37, 19.70, 16.87 and 1.63, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between aged-divided groups of women in relation to Ca/Mg and Zn/Cu ratios. The Zn/Fe ratio in the subjects' hair was significantly higher in women over 85 years old than in younger women (23.63 vs. ca 14.50), whereas the Fe/Cu ratio was significantly lower in this group than in the others (0.97 vs. ca 1.80). Significant correlations were found between age and hair-Zn and Fe concentrations. The BMI of the women correlated positively with the hair-Ca level and hair-Cu level. The Ca intake by women correlated with the hair-Zn level, as well as the Zn intake with the concentration of Ca in the hair of the analysed  population. The results of the current study demonstrate that increased age is associated with a significant change in hair trace element content in elderly women.

26.4.2021