Effects of age, smoking, drinking, exercise and estrogen use on indices of copper status in healthy adults 1

Abstract

Erythrocyte Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), ceruloplasmin activity (CP) and serum copper concentration (SCu) were determined in normal adult males (n=239) and females (n=145). The effects of age, smoking, drinking frequency, exercise and oral contraceptive use or estrogen replacement therapy on these indices of copper status were investigated. For males, the mean SOD (U/mg hemoglobin±SD) was 77.42±15.7 and for females, 75.7±19.9. CP and SCu were highly correlated, while no significant relationship between these two indices of copper status and SOD could be detected. Both SCu and CP varied significantly with age in females but not in males. No age-related differences in SOD were found. Estrogen use, both in oral contraceptive preparations by pre-menopausal women and as replacement therapy by postmenopausal women significantly increased both SCu and CP but had no effect on SOD. Smoking, drinking frequency and activity level had no significant effect on any of these parameters of copper status.