Copper nutritional status and its relationships with oxidative stress in obese women

Background and Aims: Obesity is a disease that is characterized by the excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that favors the development of metabolic disorders such as those related to oxidative stress and appears to contribute to changes in the homeostasis of micronutrients involved in the production of free radicals such as copper. From this perspective, there is an interest in regard to identifying the possible influence of this mineral on the manifestation of oxidative stress in the context of obesity. Materials and methods: A total of 141 women were divided into the case group (BMI≥ 35 kg/m 2) and the control group (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2). Weight and height were measured, and BMI values were calculated. Dietary copper intake was obtained from a standard 3 day food record. Analyses of copper in plasma and erythrocytes were performed, and the concentrations of the enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were determined. Additionally, serum concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances were determined. Results: The amount of copper observed in the diets of obese women was higher than was that in the control group. Elevated copper concentrations in the plasma and a reduction in erythrocytes were observed, and high TBARS values and reduced activity of the erythrocyte superoxide dismutase enzyme were also observed in the case group compared to these values in the control group. Conclusion: Our study did not identify a correlation between the assessment parameters of nutritional status related to copper and the concentrations of TBARS in either group.