Copper Supplementation at 8 mg Neither Affects Circulating Lipids nor Liver Function in Apparently Healthy Chilean Men

Abstract

Copper (Cu) deficiency has been reported to influence lipid metabolism, but the effects in humans are controversial. To evaluate the effects of 8 mg Cu/day supplementation (as copper sulfate) for 6 months on the lipid profile and hepatic function of apparently healthy men. The design was randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Subjects and methods: 60 apparently healthy males aged 18–51 years were randomly assigned to Cu supplementation (n =30) or placebo (n =30). There was a nonsignificant reduction of 17 % in total cholesterol in both groups after supplementation. A 23 % nonsignificant reduction was observed in LDL cholesterol levels in the supplemented group. There was a nonsignificant increase of HDL cholesterol of 47 and 66 % in the control and supplemented groups, respectively. Triglyceride levels over 150 mg/dl were found in 17 subjects supplemented and 13 controls at baseline and decreased after supplementation to seven and eight subjects, respectively. There were no effects on serum Cu concentration or ceruloplasmin (protein) and hepatic transaminases. Supplementation of 8 mg Cu for 6 months had no effect on lipid profile of apparently healthy Chilean men with adequate Cu status.