EN
Vanadium and chromium belong to microelements, which due to their properties arouse increasing concern. Worthy of note is their involvement in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism of the organism, which is of special significance in people with excessive body mass. The aim of the study was to compare the content of vanadium and chromium in the hair of women with normal body mass and obesity. The study involved 33 obese women (mean age 47.9+12.4, mean BMI = 38.3 ±6.9) and 23 women with normal body mass (mean age 40.7 ± 11.8, BMI = 22.7+ 1.7). The microelement content in the hair was determined by means of atomic absorption spectrometry in a flameless version, using a Hitachi Z-5000 apparatus with Zeeman's background correction. The method precision was controlled using a certified reference material GBW 09101 - human hair. In the group of obese women, the mean vanadium content in the hair was 0.063 ±0.059 µg/g, being significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the women with normal body mass (mean vanadium content 0.043 ±0.040 µg/g). No statistically significant differences were observed between the mean chromium content in the hair of obese women (0.26 ±0.13 µg/g) and women with normal body mass (0.25 ±0.14 µg/g hair). A positive correlation (r = 0.419) was found between vanadium and chromium content in the hair of obese women. A correlation between vanadium and chromium content revealed in the hair of women with normal body mass was positive, yet statistically insignificant (r = 0.07).