Greater circulating copper concentrations and copper/zinc ratios are associated with lower psychological distress, but not cognitive performance, in a sample of Australian older adults

Since the dyshomeostasis of copper and zinc is connected with neurodegeneration, Mravunac et al. (2019) set out to explore the relationship between copper and zinc serum levels, copper/zinc ratio, cognitive function, and signs of depression and anxiety among 139 Australian adults. Along with blood concentrations of zinc and copper, neurotrophic factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor-1 were assessed, while the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Cogstate battery and the Behavior Rating Inventory (BRI) of Executive Function (Adult version) allowed evaluation of the participants’ anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Associations with lower depressive symptoms were found for copper and copper/zinc ratio but not for cognition. Also, plasma copper was positively correlated with BDNF while zinc was not associated with any of the outcomes. To summarize, higher blood copper levels and copper/zinc ratios were related to lower depressive symptoms, and copper was also positively associated with BDNF concentrations among an older population in Australia. [NPID: micronutrients, nutritional supplements, zinc, neurodegeneration, copper, zinc, cognitive function, BDNF, anxiety, depression, executive function, Australia]

Year: 2019

Reference: Mravunac, M., Szymlek-Gay, E. A., Daly, R. M., Roberts, B. R., Formica, M., Gianoudis, J., O'Connell, S. L., Nowson, C. A., & Cardoso, B. R. (2019). Greater Circulating Copper Concentrations and Copper/Zinc Ratios are Associated with Lower Psychological Distress, But Not Cognitive Performance, in a Sample of Australian Older Adults. Nutrients, 11(10), 2503. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102503

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