Response of putative indices of copper status to copper supplementation inhuman subjects

No sensitive functional index is currently available to assess Cu status in healthy human populations. This study evaluated the effect of Cu supplemen tation on putative indices of Cu status in twelve women and twelve men, age d between 22 and 45 years, who participated in a double-blind placebo contr olled crossover study. The study consisted of three 6-week supplementation regimens of 3 mg CuSO4, 3 mg Cu-glycine chelate and 6 mg Cu-glycine chelate , each separated by placebo periods of equal length. Women had significantl y higher caeruloplasmin oxidase activity (P < 0.001), caeruloplasmin protei n concentration (P < 0.05), and serum diamine oxidase activity (P < 0.01) a t baseline than men. Erythrocyte and leucocyte superoxide dismutase activit y, leucocyte cytochrome c oxidase activity, and erythrocyte glutathione per oxidase activity did not respond to Cu supplementation. Platelet cytochrome c oxidase activity was significantly higher (P < 0.01), after supplementat ion with 6 mg Cu-glycine chelate in the total group and in women but did no t change in men. Caeruloplasmin oxidase activity was significantly higher ( P < 0.05), in men after supplementation with 3 mg Cu-glycine chelate, while caeruloplasmin protein concentration was significantly lower in men after supplementation with 6 mg Cu-glycine chelate (P < 0.05). Serum diamine oxid ase activity was significantly higher after all supplementation regimens in the total group and in both men and women (P < 0.01). These results indica te that serum diamine oxidase activity is sensitive to changes in dietary C u intakes and may also have the potential to evaluate changes in Cu status in healthy adult human subjects.