Zinc availability from beef served with various carbohydrates or beverages

Two sets of meals containing a beef patty labeled intrinsically with ⁶⁵Zn and various carbohydrate foods or beverages were fed in random order to adult men and women. Twelve subjects participated in each study. Meals contained 210 g beef and either water, white bread, potatoes, rice, milk, orange juice, or coffee. Whole body zinc retention was monitored for 8 weeks after each meal. Mean Zn absorption in the first study was 28.8% from beef alone, 20.2% from beef and white bread, 17.6% from beef and potato, and 23.8% from beef and rice. Zinc absorption from beef alone was significantly greater than the average absorption from all beef/carbohydrate meals together (p<0.01), and was significantly greater than from beef with bread or potatoes, but zinc absorption from beef with rice did not differ significantly from absorption from beef alone. In the second group of meals, mean zinc absorption was 35.4% from beef alone, 28.0% from beef and milk, 29.2% from beef and orange juice, and 29.5% from beef and coffee. Zinc absorption from beef alone was significantly greater (p<0.01) than the average absorption from all beef/beverage meals together and was significantly different from beef plus milk; however, zinc absorption from beef with coffee or beef with orange juice did not differ significantly from zinc absorption from beef alone. These findings suggest that total amount of food in the meal may affect zinc absorption.