Dietary intake of zinc and selenium in Turkey

It is known that in the Turkish soil Se and Zn concentrations are somewhat lower than in other countries. Lower zinc intake causes significant health problems mostly at rural areas. Six different population groups, total of 5 5 subjects, consisting of children, people from rural areas, university stu dents and staff members were selected and diet samples were collected by du plicate portion technique. Bread and flour samples were collected from six different bakeries in Ankara. Zinc, selenium and other trace elements in th ese samples were analyzed mostly by INAA. Daily dietary zinc intake differs among different groups, ranging 5-13 mg Zn/day, and for all cases, it is l ower than RDA value of 15 mg Zn/day. Similarly, selenium daily intake is ar ound 20-53 mug Se/day, which is also lower than RDA value of 55-70 mug Se/d ay.