Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study

Escobedo-Monge, Marlene Fabiola; Barrado, Enrique; Parodi-Román, Joaquín; Escobedo-Monge, María Antonieta; Torres-Hinojal, María Carmen; Marugán-Miguelsanz, José Manuel

doi:10.3390/nu13103578

Open AccessArticle

Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study

by

Marlene Fabiola Escobedo-Monge

^1,*

,

Enrique Barrado

²,

Joaquín Parodi-Román

³,

María Antonieta Escobedo-Monge

⁴,

María Carmen Torres-Hinojal

¹ and

José Manuel Marugán-Miguelsanz

^5,6

¹

Faculty of Medicine, Valladolid University, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 7, 47005 Valladolid, Spain

²

Department of Analytical Chemistry, Science Faculty, Valladolid University, Campus Miguel Delibes, Calle Paseo de Belén, 7, 47011 Valladolid, Spain

³

Science Faculty, Cadiz University, Paseo de Carlos III, 28, 11003 Cádiz, Spain

⁴

Department of Chemistry, Science Faculty, University of Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos sn, 09001 Burgos, Spain

⁵

Department of Pediatrics of the Faculty of Medicine, Valladolid University, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 7, 47005 Valladolid, Spain

⁶

Section of Gastroenterology and Pediatric Nutrition, University Clinical Hospital of Valladolid, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 3, 47003 Valladolid, Spain

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3578; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103578

Submission received: 20 September 2021 / Revised: 5 October 2021 / Accepted: 9 October 2021 / Published: 13 October 2021

(This article belongs to the Section Nutrition and Metabolism)

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Abstract

Copper is an essential micronutrient for humans. A cross-sectional and comparative study was done to assess serum Cu levels and serum copper/zinc (Cu/Zn) ratio and its association with nutritional indicators in a series of children and adolescents with chronic diseases. Anthropometric, biochemical, dietary, body composition, and bone densitometry assessments were carried out. Serum Cu and Zn were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Seventy-eight patients (55% women) participated. The mean serum Cu in the entire series and by nutritional status through body mass index (BMI) was normal. Serum Cu decreased significantly with age and was meaningfully higher in children than in adolescents. The risk of finding altered Cu levels in children and men was higher than in adolescents and women, respectively. Twenty-two per cent of patients had abnormal serum copper levels, 13 had hypercupremia, and four had hypocupremia. The Cu/Zn ratio was greater than 1.00 for 87% of the patients, which is an indicator of an inflammatory state. All patients with hypozincemia and hypocupremia had deficient Zn intake, but only 65% of the patients with hypercupremia had dietary Zn deficiency. Consequently, the Cu/Zn ratio could indicate an inflammatory state and a high risk of zinc deficiency in this specific child population.

Keywords: hypocupremia; hypercupremia; inflammatory response; risk of zinc deficiency; serum zinc/copper ratio

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MDPI and ACS Style

Escobedo-Monge, M.F.; Barrado, E.; Parodi-Román, J.; Escobedo-Monge, M.A.; Torres-Hinojal, M.C.; Marugán-Miguelsanz, J.M. Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients 2021, 13, 3578. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103578

AMA Style

Escobedo-Monge MF, Barrado E, Parodi-Román J, Escobedo-Monge MA, Torres-Hinojal MC, Marugán-Miguelsanz JM. Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2021; 13(10):3578. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103578

Chicago/Turabian Style

Escobedo-Monge, Marlene Fabiola, Enrique Barrado, Joaquín Parodi-Román, María Antonieta Escobedo-Monge, María Carmen Torres-Hinojal, and José Manuel Marugán-Miguelsanz. 2021. "Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study" Nutrients 13, no. 10: 3578. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103578

APA Style

Escobedo-Monge, M. F., Barrado, E., Parodi-Román, J., Escobedo-Monge, M. A., Torres-Hinojal, M. C., & Marugán-Miguelsanz, J. M. (2021). Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients, 13(10), 3578. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103578

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Copper and Copper/Zn Ratio in a Series of Children with Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study

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