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Association between longevity and element levels in food and drinking water of typical Chinese longevity area

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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

To carrying out an integrated analysis on regional environment and human health in China and to detect the association between longevity and daily element intake from food and drinking water.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

All the 18 cities and counties in Hainan Province.

Measurements

The distribution of elderly population and longevity indexes at a county level in Hainan Province were investigated. Quality of food and drinking water in Hainan was evaluated by comparing the chemical elements with National Standards. In addition, the association between element concentrations in food and water and longevity was examined using spearman’s rank correlation.

Results

The proportion of elderly people is higher in the northern part of the province compared with southern counties. Food contributes a greater proportion of daily element intake than drinking water. Compared with the National Standards, reaching rates for elements were over 85% for both food and drinking water. There was a positive correlation between daily intake of Cu, Se, and Zn from food and water and aging and longevity indexes, and a negative correlation between Pb intake and these indexes.

Conclusion

The quality of food and water in Hainan Province are good and that, compared with water, food is a more important source of trace elements. An appropriate supply of Cu, Se, and Zn is important, whereas excessive intake of Pb should be avoided. The findings also provide basic data to support further studies on regional variations in longevity and their relationship to diet and drinking water.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Z. Hao, Y. Liu, Y. Li, W. Song, J. Yu, H. Li & W. Wang

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Damage Assessment and Remediation, Beijing, China

    Y. Li, J. Yu, H. Li & W. Wang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Z. Hao & W. Song

  4. Key Laboratory of Engineering Oceanography, Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Z. Hao

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  1. Z. Hao
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  2. Y. Liu
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  3. Y. Li
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  4. W. Song
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  5. J. Yu
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  6. H. Li
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  7. W. Wang
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Correspondence to Y. Li.

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Hao, Z., Liu, Y., Li, Y. et al. Association between longevity and element levels in food and drinking water of typical Chinese longevity area. J Nutr Health Aging 20, 897–903 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0690-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0690-5

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