Author
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Klevay, Leslie |
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Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2002 Publication Date: 9/1/2002 Citation: Klevay, L.M. 2002. Extra dietary copper inhibits LDL oxidation [letter to editor - Wan]. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. v.76. p.687-688. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: A recent paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that feeding chocolate to people improved oxidative defense. An increase in dietary copper during this experiment may have contributed to the results because the Western diet often is low in copper and chocolate is high in copper. Calculations reveal that the chocolate would have added nearly 1.15 mg of copper to the basal diet each day. The total daily intake of copper in the experiment might have been three times the daily Estimated Average Requirement or twice the Recommended Dietary Allowance for adults. Indeed others supplemented middled-aged people with copper and found similar results. Although this latter improvement occurred without an increase in activity of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that provides defense against oxidative damage, results may indicate that people ordinarily ate too little copper and have other means of defense. Control of the chocolate containing diets for copper intake as well as for caffeine, cholesterol, fat and fiber would have been informative. Perhaps chocolate enhances the absorbability of copper. Copper is an antioxidant nutrient for cardiovascular health and has no pro-oxidant activity of a considerably higher intake than that in the chocolate containing diet. Diets low in copper are suggested as an explanation for much of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease. Chocolate is a pleasant dietary supplement. |
