European Heart Journal Advance Access originally published online on November 2, 2005
European Heart Journal 2006 27(1):117; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehi634
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Heart failure improvement from a supplement containing copper
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Witte et al.1 improved ventricular function and quality of life in septuagenarian patients with chronic heart failure and ischaemic heart disease by supplementation with multiple micronutrients.The authors suggested that their regimen may provide relief from multiple deficiencies, reduction in oxidative stress, and be a first step towards identifying elements that can be eliminated from the supplement without loss of benefit. Copper is an antioxidant nutrient for cardiovascular health2 that may have contributed to their success.
The Western diet is often low in copper,3 according to the pooled data from several articles on more than 900 diets chemically analysed. About 62 and 36% of diets of 80 randomly selected adults in Baltimore4 were below the recommended dietary allowance and the estimated average requirement for adults, respectively, 0.9 and 0.7 mg daily.5
Copper deficiency is the only nutritional insult that elevates cholesterol, blood pressure, homocysteine, and uric acid, has adverse effects on electrocardiograms and arteries, impairs glucose tolerance, and promotes thrombosis and oxidative damage. More than 80 anatomical, chemical, and physiological similarities between animals deficient in copper and people with ischaemic heart disease have been identified.6,7 Copper deficiency in animals can induce cardiac enlargement,8 pleural effusion,9 and heart failure10 that are reversible with copper supplementation.
Dietary supplements including copper in this context may be inexpensive therapy rather than expensive placebos. The small size of this trial reveals that a follow-up trial can be relatively inexpensive and need not involve hundreds or thousands of people common in heart disease research. Perhaps, a trial with two to three times as much copper and a decrease in vitamins to nearer international recommended intakes will produce benefit in a shorter time.
References
- Witte KKA, Nikitin NP, Parker AC, von Haehling S, Volk HD, AnkerSD, Clark AL, Cleland JGF. The effect of micronutrient supplementation on quality-of-life and left ventricular function in elderly patients with chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J 2005;26:2238–2244.
[Abstract/Free Full Text] - Allen KG, Klevay LM. Copper: an antioxidant nutrient for cardiovascular health. Curr Opin Lipidol 1994;5:22–28.[Medline]
- Klevay, LM. Lack of a recommended dietary allowance for copper may be hazardous to your health. J Am Coll Nutr 1998;17:322–326.
[Abstract/Free Full Text] - Pang Y, MacIntosh DL, Ryan PB. A longitudinal investigation of aggregate oral intake of copper. J Nutr 2001;131:2171–2176.
[Abstract/Free Full Text] - Anon. Copper. In: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Chapter 7. National Academy of Sciences: Washington, DC; 2001. p1–27.
- Klevay LM. Ischemic heart disease. In: Bogden JD, Klevay LM, eds. Clinical Nutrition of the Essential Trace Elements and Minerals: The Guide for Health Professionals. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press Inc.; 2000. p251–271.
- Klevay LM. Advances in cardiovascular-copper research. In: Schrauzer GN, ed. Trace Elements in Nutrition, Health and Disease. Montreal, Canada, Salt Lake City: Institut Rosell; 2002. p64–71.
- Dallman PR. Cytochrome oxidase repair during treatment of copper deficiency: relation to mitochondrial turnover. J Clin Invest 1967;46:1819–1827.[Medline]
- Viestenz KE, Klevay LM. A randomized trial of copper therapy in rats with electrocardiographic abnormalities due to copper deficiency. Am J Clin Nutr 1982;35:258–266.
[Abstract/Free Full Text] - Elsherif L, Ortines RV, Saari JT, Kang YJ. Congestive heart failure in copper-deficient mice. Exp Biol Med 2003;228:811–817.
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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