MICRONUTRIENTS AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS

Background: Nutritional anemia is a disease caused by malnutrition in its widest sense. The most frequent cause of nutritional anemia is iron deficiency. Adolescent is an intense anabolic period where requirement for all nutrients increase. Poor nutritional status causes impairment of the antioxidant defense system and reduced cellular immunity were previously reported in patients with IDA. Aims and Objectives: To determine the level of micronutrients, antioxidants and marker of lipid peroxidation and their correlation among anemic and non-anemic adolescent girls. Material and Method: In the present study total 90 randomly selected school going adolescent girlswas enrolled, which were divided into two groups viz. non anemic (n=20) and anemic (n=70), group two further divided into two groups on the basis of degree of anemia viz. mild (n=30) and moderate (n=40) anemic. We measured complete blood count, levels of micronutrients, plasma lipid peroxidation product, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant. Result: The level of complete blood count, serum iron and zinc along with enzymatic antioxidant SOD were significantly reduced in anemic group. However, the levels of MDA, a marker of lipid peroxidation were found to be significantly increased in anemic group as compared to non-anemic adolescent girls. Non enzymatic antioxidant vitamin C also decreased significantly in anemic group. Conclusion: nutritional iron deficiency anemia tends to increases the pro-oxidant components, which may results in various complications including peroxidation of vital body molecules resulting in increased adverse effect on educational performance, productivity and wellbeing.