Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38917458›Full record

SynthesisNutrition reviews2025

Methods of Assessment of Zinc Status in Humans: An Updated Review and Meta-analysis.

Marena Ceballos-Rasgado, Anna K M Brazier, Swarnim Gupta, Victoria H Moran, Elisa Pierella, Katalin Fekete, Nicola M Lowe

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nutrition reviews, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. The Arcana of Zinc.The Journal of nutrition · 2025
    Review
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Marena Ceballos-RasgadoCentre for Global Development, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-4075-5366
Anna K M BrazierCentre for Global Development, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
Swarnim GuptaCentre for Global Development, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
Victoria H MoranCentre for Global Development, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
Elisa PierellaCentre for Global Development, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
Katalin FeketeDepartment of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs 7624, Hungary.
Nicola M LoweCentre for Global Development, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-6934-2768

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextThe assessment of zinc status is difficult but essential for the identification of zinc deficiency and evaluation of interventions to improve zinc status.

objectiveThe purpose of this systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis was to update the previously published SR of biomarkers of zinc status, conducted by the European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned (EURRECA) network in 2009, to answer the question: Which putative measures (biomarkers) of zinc status appropriately reflect a change in zinc intake of at least 2 weeks? DATA SOURCES: A structured search strategy was used to identify articles published between January 2007 and September 2022 from MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Relevant articles were identified using previously defined eligibility criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted and combined with data from the previous SR. DATA ANALYSIS: A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled mean differences using STATA (StataCorp). The risk of bias and the certainty of evidence for all outcomes were assessed. Additional data on 7 of the 32 previously reported biomarkers were identified, along with data on an additional 40 putative biomarkers from studies published since 2007. Pooled data analysis confirmed that, in healthy participants, both plasma/serum zinc concentration and urinary zinc excretion responded to changes in zinc intake (plasma/serum: mean effect [95% CI], controlled studies: 2.17 µmol/L [1.73, 2.61]; P < .005, I2 = 97.8; before-and-after studies: 2.87 µmol/L [2.45, 3.30]; P < .005, I2 = 98.1%; urine zinc: 0.39 mmol/mol creatinine [0.17, 0.62]; P < .005, I2 = 81.2; 3.09 µmol/day [0.16, 6.02]; P = .039, I2 = 94.3).

conclusionThe updated analyses support the conclusion that plasma/serum and urinary zinc respond to changes in zinc intake in studies of healthy participants. Several additional putative biomarkers were identified, but more studies are needed to assess the sensitivity and reliability. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO no. CRD42020219843.

Indexed as

Nutritional StatusNutrition AssessmentZincBiomarkersHumansBiomarkersZincbiomarkermeta-analysissystematic reviewzinczinc status

Identifiers

PMID38917458
PMCPMC11819495

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.