ASSESSMENT OF SERUM LEVELS OF IRON, ZINC AND ALBUMIN IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT EDO STATE UNIVERSITY, UZAIRUE

ABSTRACT The assessment of serum iron, zinc, and albumin levels among undergraduate students is critical for identifying potential nutritional deficiencies that may impact health and academic performance. This cross-sectional study evaluated serum micronutrient levels in 100 students at Edo State University, Uzairue, using validated biochemical assays. The research employed stratified random sampling to ensure a representative sample across different academic disciplines. Venous samples were collected from each participant which was then centrifuged, separated and analysed spectrophotometrically. Results showed significant age differences between genders (male: 21.0 ± 2.5 years, female: 19.0 ± 2.7 years, p < 0.0001) and associations between supplement use and biochemical markers (p = 0.003). While albumin levels remained stable across age groups and academic levels (range: 5.28 ± 0.36 to 5.43 ± 0.29 g/dl), zinc levels varied by gender (male: 14.21 ± 5.19 μmol/l, female: 11.96 ± 5.24 μmol/l, p = 0.0329) and age. Iron levels showed minimal variation across groups (range: 92 ± 28 to 98 ± 30 μg/dl). The study found weak negative correlations between albumin-zinc (r = -0.0985), albumin-iron (r = -0.0592), and zinc-iron (r = 0.1027) levels, none of which were statistically significant. Dietary habits, including consumption of iron-rich (50% often), zinc-rich (79% often), and protein-rich (86% often) foods, showed no significant associations with micronutrient levels. These findings provide valuable insights into the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies among university students and highlight the need for gender-specific nutritional strategies, particularly regarding zinc intake. These findings emphasized that the school management should allow cooking in all hostels to mitigate and help improve student dietary health.