The Role of Copper and Zinc in Cholesterol Metabolism

Trace Element and Mineral Nutrition in Ischemic Heart Disease

“…The hypercholesterolemia of pregnancy (5,108), the dyslipidemia associated with the ingestion of zinc supplements (2,11,47,58) and seasonal variations in cholesterol (2,45) probably are secondary to alterations in copper. One also can conclude from experiments with animals that the increased risk of heart disease associated with high serum uric acid (11,47,58,106,109), with small stature (47,106) and with the availability of soft water (5,6,47,51,70,(107)(108)(109) may be related to diets low in copper. Space does not permit full documentation here of these concepts; primary references including those to specific experiments are included in the theoretical references cited.…”

“…The copper deficiency theory (2,24,47,58,70,106) explains some observations on populations that otherwise seem to be isolated curiosities. The increased risk of heart disease associated with chronic renal dialysis and kidney disease (5,58,70), the apparently protective effects of consuming human milk in infancy (5,70) or of hepatic cirrhosis (5) are accompanied by consonant changes in copper metabolism and/or utilization (see Chapters 9, 16, and 17).…”

“…Zinc can inhibit copper utilization (Table 2). Changes in copper status explain the low serum cholesterol values found in acrodermatitis enteropathica (70,107) and Wilson's disease (47), the decreased cholesterol following the ingestion of calcium supplements (5,51,70) or the injection of ethylenediamine tetraacetate (5,108) and the hyperlipidemia and glucose intolerance of Menkes' disease (11,47,58). The hypercholesterolemia of pregnancy (5,108), the dyslipidemia associated with the ingestion of zinc supplements (2,11,47,58) and seasonal variations in cholesterol (2,45) probably are secondary to alterations in copper.…”

“…The increased risk of heart disease associated with chronic renal dialysis and kidney disease (5,58,70), the apparently protective effects of consuming human milk in infancy (5,70) or of hepatic cirrhosis (5) are accompanied by consonant changes in copper metabolism and/or utilization (see Chapters 9, 16, and 17). The mortality rate for coronary heart disease and the ratio of zinc to copper in milk sold in 47 cities of the U.S. are positively correlated (r=0.354, p<0.02) (193).…”

“…phenomenon was one of the stimuli for my first experiments on trace elements (69) which led to a collection of chemical elements associated by experiment with ischemic heart disease (6). This collection has grown and has been revised to include elements related to cholesterol metabolism (70) and atherosclerosis (71,72). Currently, approximately one-third of the elements in the periodic table are included.…”