Serum copper and the risk of cardiovascular disease death in Finnish men

Nzechukwu Isiozor*, Setor K Kunutsor, Dorothea Vogelsang, Ifeanyichukwu Isiozor, Jussi Kauhanen, Jari A Laukkanen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)
71 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background and Aims
Copper (Cu) is a component of enzymes catalyzing oxidation-reduction reactions. With the persisting burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there is evident need to identify biomarkers and potential risk factors for CVD. We therefore examined the association between serum Cu levels and the risk of CVD death in Finnish men and across different body mass index (BMI) categories.
Methods and Results
This Finnish prospective study is based on 1911 men aged 42-60 years who were free of coronary heart disease at baseline. Cu concentrations(mg/l) were determined using atomic absorption spectrometer and categorized into quartiles (<1.0; 1 to <1.1; 1.1 to <1.21; ≥1.21). Participants were categorized into normal weight <25kg/m2, pre-obesity 25-29.9kg/m2, and obesity >30kg/m2. The association between Cu and CVD death was analyzed using multivariable Cox regression models. During a median follow-up of 25.8 years, 358 CVD deaths occurred. The risk of CVD death increased continuously with increasing Cu levels (for non-linearity, p = 0.64). Using the first quartile as reference after adjustment for covariates, the hazard ratios (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for CVD death for Cu concentrations in second, third and fourth quartiles were 1.45(1.05-2.01), 1.69(1.25-2.27), and 1.68(1.23-2.29), respectively. Obese men in the third quartile of serum Cu concentrations had highest risk of CVD death (HR (95%CI) 2.71(1.27-5.78)).
Conclusion
Elevated serum Cu level was associated with increased risk of CVD death across all BMI categories in middle-aged and older Finnish men. Serum Cu may have prognostic implication for CVD mortality risk; however, further studies are needed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)151-157
Number of pages7
JournalNutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
Volume33
Issue number1
Early online date5 Oct 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research is supported by grants from the North Savo Regional Fund and Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research ( 200083 ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

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