Effect of high dietary thiamin on copper deficiency symptoms of rats fed a high-fructose, low-copper diet

Abstract

The consumption of diets high in fructose may increase the dietary requirement for thiamin since the coenzyme form of thiamin functions primarily in the metabolism of 2-keto sugars. Also, a thiamin x copper interaction has been reported which may be beneficial to an animal consuming a low-copper diet. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of high dietary thiamin on copper deficiency symptoms of rats fed a high-fructose, low-copper diet. Rats were divided into two dietary groups of different thiamin levels: 6 mg thiamin/kg diet, high-fructose, low-copper or 60 mg thiamin/kg diet, high-fructose, low-copper. Mortality rate of rats fed a low copper diet was not greatly improved by dietary thiamin. Body weight was significantly reduced in the high-thiamin, high-fructose, low-copper dietary group. Supplementing with high dietary thiamin did not improve tissue weights of rats fed high-fructose, low-copper diets. Hematocrit, RBC superoxide dismutase activity, plasma ceruloplasmin activity, plasma Cu levels and hepatic Cu levels were not improved by supplementing high-fructose, low-copper diets with high thiamin levels. These results suggest that high dietary thiamin does not interact with copper to improve the symptoms of copper deficiency.