ArticleThe Pan African medical journal2026
The impact of smoking on serum zinc levels among Sudanese adults: a case-control study.
Article in The Pan African medical journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Introduction: smoking increases oxidative stress and may impair zinc status by reducing absorption, increasing excretion, or disrupting enzyme function. Zinc is vital for antioxidant defence, and its deficiency could exacerbate smoking-related damage. This study assessed serum zinc levels in smokers and non-smokers to explore the association between smoking and zinc status. Methods: a hospital-based case-control study was conducted at Ibrahim Malik Teaching Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan. The study included 80 healthy adult males aged 18-39 years (mean age 25.56 ± 3.42 years), comprising 40 smokers as the case group and 40 non-smokers as the control group. Participants with known chronic illnesses or those on mineral supplementation were excluded. Serum zinc concentrations were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and group comparisons were performed using the independent samples t-test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: the mean serum zinc level was significantly lower in smokers (66.83 ± 21.13 µg/dL) compared to non-smokers (90.08 ± 14.93 µg/dL) (p < 0.05). No significant associations were observed between serum zinc levels and the number of cigarettes smoked (p = 0.683) or duration of smoking (p = 0.596). Conclusion: smokers exhibited significantly lower serum zinc levels compared to non-smokers, indicating a potential impact of smoking on zinc status. However, zinc levels did not correlate with smoking intensity or duration, suggesting the effect may occur regardless of exposure level.
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