ZINC AND COPPER CONCENTRATIONS IN SERUM FROM SPANISH WOMEN DURING PREGNANCY

A cross-sectional study of serum zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) levels in 3 1 healthy pregnant women and 51 healthy, nonpregnant controls living i n the Mediterranean area of Granada, Spain, was performed. The subject s were divided into two groups: Group A, consisted of pregnant women i n three categories according to the trimester of pregnancy, and Group B consisted of nonpregnant women acting as controls. In pregnant women , serum Zn levels were found from 0.300-1.340 mg/L and serum Cu from 0 .936-2.304 mg/L, whereas in the nonpregnant women group, the mean seru m levels were 0.947 +/- 0.265 mg/L for Zn and 1.092 +/- 0.365 mg/L for Cu. Serum Zn progressively decreased with gestation. Mean Zn levels w ere 0.829 +/- 0.253, 0.846 +/- 0.329, and 0.620 +/- 0.142 mg/L, corres ponding to the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, respe ctively. Serum Zn concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant women as compared to controls: 0.712 +/- 0.236 mg/L vs 0.947 +/- 0.265 mg/L, respectively (p < 0.05). In contrast, Cu levels increased with period of gestation from 1.053 +/- 0.498 mg/L in the first trimester t o 1.616 +/- 0.304 mg/L in the second and. 1.689 +/- 0.344 mg/L in the third. Serum Cu levels in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those determined during the first trimester and for nonpregnant controls. Both Zn and Cu during p regnancy did not appear to be dependent on the subject's age (p > 0.05 ).