Simultaneous Investigation of Dietary and Plasma Copper, Zinc, Iron and Selenium in Pre- and Post-menopausal Omnivores, Vegetarians and Patients with Early Breast Cancer

Abstract

Total plasma iron, copper, zinc and selenium and the dietary intake of these elements were determined in pre-menopausal (pre-m) and post-menopausal (post-m) women mainly with stage I breast cancer (BCA), and in omnivorous (OMN) and vegetarian (VEG) controls. The OMN groups comprised 14 pre-m women (33 -+ 6 (SD) years) and I 1 post-m women (57 5 5 years), and the VEG groups comprised 12 pre-m women (34 2 7 years) and I I post-m women (59 -+ 5 years). There were 13 pre-m BCA patients (39 -+ 7 years) and 10 post-m BCA patients (66 t 6 years). Fasting plasma samples were obtained on 3 consecutive days, typically four times a year. Dietary assessment was over 5 days by weighing dietary components on a letter balance and analyzing for nutrient components using a computer program. Overall geometric means (1 SD range) for plasma (pnol l-')/dietary (mg/day) elements were: Fe 15.5 (10./31 .O pg/day (8.1 -44.2). Except for P-Cu pre-m (16.4 pmoll-' in controls vs 18.2 p o l I-' in BCA group, p < 0.03) plasma elemental levels themselves did not distinguish BCA from controls. Neither did elemental ratios separate BCA from controls. Only for Se did plasma levels depend directly on intake (correlation coeficient 0.24, p < 0.02). The P-Cddiet-copper ratio ( p o l 1-' per mg/day) distinguished pre-rn BCA (12.9) from pre-m controls (9.8-OMN, 104-VEG; p < 0.001) and post-m BCA (14.3) from post-m VEG (11.3; p < 0.01);this was also true for a parameter of the plasma non-caeruloplasmin copper/diet-copper ratio, perhaps pointing to differences in copper absorption.

Effect of vegetarian diets on zinc status: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies in humans

“…Many studies were excluded from further evaluation, and the primary reasons for their exclusion are provided in Table . Thirty‐four studies qualified for inclusion in the present systematic review, all of which were observational in design.…”

Vegetarian Nutrition for the Older Adult: Vitamin B12, Iron, and Zinc

“…In a small group of postmenopausal women who followed V-OL or LoM diets for a mean of 10.3 years, dietary zinc intakes and plasma zinc levels were comparable to those of NV controls [67]. Similarly, no differences in dietary zinc intake or serum zinc concentration were observed between an apparently healthy institutionalized elderly V-OL population and NV control groups, irrespective of gender [43], and no differences in dietary zinc intake were reported in earlier comparisons of older and elderly Seventh-Day Adventist vegetarian and NV women [85,86].…”

“…Studies conducted in Finland [67] and Belgium/The Netherlands [43] reported no differences in dietary iron intake and serum/plasma iron concentration between older and elderly vegetarian and NV populations, irrespective of gender. In the elderly group [43], serum transferrin was higher in V-OL compared to NV participants, whereas hemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations were within the reference ranges for males and females and not significantly different between V-OL and NV.…”