SERUM COPPER AND ZINC AND THE RISK OF DEATH FROM CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

TLDR

Larger prospective studies are needed for definitive conclusions. The study examined whether serum copper and zinc levels predict cancer and cardiovascular mortality. Using a Dutch prospective cohort of 10,532 participants, the authors conducted a case‑control analysis measuring baseline serum copper and zinc in stored samples from 1975–1978. Higher serum copper was linked to a four‑fold increase in cancer and cardiovascular mortality, with both low and high copper levels suggesting a U‑shaped risk, while zinc levels showed no significant association but a possible protective effect at high concentrations.

Abstract

To investigate the association of serum copper and zinc with mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease, the authors performed a case-control analysis of data obtained in a Dutch prospective follow-up study. Cancer (n = 64) and cardiovascular disease (n = 62) deaths and their matched controls were taken from a cohort of 10,532 persons examined in 1975–1978. Trace elements were measured in baseline serum samples, which had been stored during the six to nine years of follow-up. The adjusted risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease was about four times higher for subjects in the highest serum copper quintile (>1.43 mg/liter) compared with those with normal levels. The excess mortality observed in subjects with low copper status suggests a U-shaped relation. No significant change in the risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease was found for subjects with low or high baseline levels of serum zinc. However, a protective effect of a high zinc status on the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease is compatible with the data. For definitive conclusions, analysis of larger prospective data sets is recommended.