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Copper absorption from foods labelled intrinsically and extrinsically with Cu-65 stable isotope

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages 363–368 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To determine copper absorption from copper containing foods labelled either intrinsically or extrinsically with a highly enriched Cu-65 stable isotope label.

Design:

A longitudinal cross-over study.

Setting:

The study was conducted at the Institute of Food Research, Human Nutrition Unit, Norwich, UK.

Subjects:

Subjects were recruited locally via advertisements placed around the Norwich Research Park. A total of 10 volunteers (nine female, one male) took part in the study, but not all volunteers completed each of the test meals.

Interventions:

A highly enriched Cu-65 stable isotope label was administered to volunteers in the form of a reference dose or in breakfast test meals consisting of red wine, soya beans, mushrooms or sunflower seeds. Faecal monitoring and mass spectrometry techniques were used to estimate the relative quantities of copper absorbed from the different test meals.

Results:

True copper absorption from the reference dose (54%) was similar to extrinsically labelled red wine (49%) and intrinsically labelled sunflower seeds (52%), but significantly higher than extrinsically labelled mushrooms (35%), intrinsically (29%) and extrinsically (15%) labelled soya beans and extrinsically labelled sunflower seed (32%) test meals.

Conclusions:

The use of Cu-65 extrinsic labels in copper absorption studies requires validation according to the food being examined; intrinsic and extrinsic labelling produced significantly different results for sunflower seeds.

Sponsorship:

Funding from the European Commission and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funding from the European Commission and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The authors would like to thank all volunteers who participated in the study, the nursing and catering staff at the Human Nutrition Unit and Dr Rob Foxall for statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition Division, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, UK

    L J Harvey, J R Dainty, G Majsak-Newman, S G Wharf & S J Fairweather-Tait

  2. Division of Cellular Integrity, Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, UK

    J H Beattie & M D Reid

Authors
  1. L J Harvey
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  2. J R Dainty
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  3. J H Beattie
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  4. G Majsak-Newman
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  5. S G Wharf
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  6. M D Reid
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  7. S J Fairweather-Tait
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L J Harvey.

Additional information

Guarantor: LJ Harvey.

Contributors: LJH: (research scientist) design, execution, analysis and writing of the study, GM-N: (research scientist) analysis and writing of the study, JRD: (mathematician) analysis and writing of the study, SGW (research scientist) execution of the study, SJF-T (research scientist) design and writing of the study, MDR (research scientist) analysis of the study, JHB (research scientist), design and writing of the study.

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Harvey, L., Dainty, J., Beattie, J. et al. Copper absorption from foods labelled intrinsically and extrinsically with Cu-65 stable isotope. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 363–368 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602082

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602082

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