Table 1.
Blood analysis (means ± SD) of the control group (n = 21; 7 male, 14 female) and the group taking micronutrients (n = 19; 5 male, 14 female), at baseline and after 3 months
| control group | group taking micronutrients | p-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parameter | at baseline | after 3 months | at baseline | after 3 months | |
| Zinc (μg/dl serum) | 79.4 ± 13.9 | 82.8 ± 18.5 | 72.3 ± 12.5 | 90.2 ± 29.3 | p = 0.13 |
| CRP (mg/l serum) | 2.4 ± 4.9 | 4.9 ± 10.8 | 3.3 ± 4.8 | 3.9 ± 9.4 | p = 0.059 |
| Cortisol (μ/dl serum) | 19.5 ± 5.9 | 18.0 ± 5.8 | 18.9 ± 6.6 | 17.5 ± 8.9 | p = 0.13 |
| Homocysteine (μmol/l blood) | 14.0 ± 2.8 | 11.3 ± 1.9 | 12.5 ± 3.1 | 9.8 ± 2.2 | p = 0.85 |
| Vitamin D (ng/ml serum) | 15.7 ± 8.7 | 25.6 ± 10.2 | 17.2 ± 6.5 | 25.6 ± 6.2 | p = 0.65 |
| Vitamin C (mg/l plasma) | 7.6 ± 2.8 | 9.0 ± 2.5 | 8.0 ± 2.2 | 11.3 ± 3.5 | p = 0.49 |
| Vitamin E (μg/ml serum) | 15.5 ± 1.7 | 14.6 ± 2.2 | 14.6 ± 3.8 | 16.2 ± 3.3 | p = 0.055 |
| Malondialdehyde (μmol/l plasma) | 5.5 ± 2.7 | 2.1 ± 0.5 | 5.7 ± 3.8 | 2.4 ± 0.8 | p = 0.97 |
| Triglycerides (m) (mg/dl serum) | 117.4 ± 71.8 | 171.2 ± 85.8 | 141.4 ± 77.0 | 134.2 ± 103.9 | p = 0.073 |
| HDL (m) (mg/dl serum) | 57.3 ± 13.7 | 52.4 ± 12.0 | 52.4 ± 11.2 | 52.2 ± 8.2 | p = 0.53 |
| LDL (m) (mg/dl serum) | 108.4 ± 24.1 | 107.4 ± 20.3 | 137.4 ± 72.2 | 114.6 ± 58.7 | p = 0.048* |
| Triglycerides (f) (mg/dl serum) | 113.6 ± 38.9 | 105.3 ± 35.1 | 110.6 ± 55.7 | 102.0 ± 43.2 | p = 0.45 |
| HDL (f) (mg/dl serum) | 71.1 ± 13.1 | 67.8 ± 13.8 | 72.2 ± 17.2 | 69.3 ± 11.3 | p = 0.94 |
| LDL (f) (mg/dl serum) | 104.3 ± 22.1 | 94.5 ± 24.8 | 84.3 ± 18.1 | 78.3 ± 14.8 | p = 0.21 |