Abstract

Objectives: Obesity is a growing epidemic with subsequent health consequences leading not only to reduced quality of life but also to increased medical costs. Recently nutritional balances are emphasized in the field of obesity, and especially maintaining proper equilibriums of minerals. The correlation of minerals obtained from the method of HTMA(Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) with obese degree has not been studied in Korea yet. We studied any significant difference of mineral concentrations and components according to the obese degree. Methods: 78 subjects were analyzed who visited Garosero clinic of oriental medicine to lose their weight from June to November 2004. We used BMI(Body Mass Index), PBF(Percent Body Fat), WHR(Waist-Hip Ratio) and abdominal circumference obtained by bio-electrical impedance analysis as an obese degree. And we analyzed correlation with mineral concentrations and ratios obtained from HTMA. Results & Conclusion: 1. Na, K, Zn, Se had significant correlation with obese degree in case of nutritional minerals from HTMA. Especially, K had high significance. 2. Toxic minerals from HTMA had no significance with obese degree. 3. Rb had significant correlation with obese degree in case of additional minerals from HTMA. 4. Among important ratios from HTMA, Na/K had significant correlation with obese degree, but Ca/K had correlation except PBF, and Na/Mg had correlation except WHR. 5. Among toxic ratios from HTMA, Se/Hg had significant correlation with obese degree, but S/Hg had correlation except BMI. 6. Na, K, Zn, Rb, Na/K, Ca/K had significant differences between obesity groups classfied by BMI. Ob II group had sinificant difference from NW group in cases of K, Zn, Rb, Na/K, and Ob II group had sinificant difference from OW group in case of Ca/K.

Keywords

• Obesity;
• HTMA;
• Mineral;
• BMI;
• PBF;
• Correlation