Iron and zinc status in rats with diet-induced marginal deficiency of vitamin A and/or copper.
The hypothesis was tested that there are interactions of marginal copper and vitamin A deficiency regarding iron and zinc status. Copper restriction (1 vs 5 mg Cu/kg diet) significantly lowered copper concentrations in plasma and tissues of rats and reduced blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, and iron concentrations in tibia and femur, but raised iron concentrations in liver. Vitamin A restriction (0 vs 4000 IU vitamin A/kg diet) reduced plasma retinol concentrations and induced a fall of blood hemoglobin and hematocrit. Neither copper nor vitamin A restriction for up to 42 d affected feed intake and body wt gain. There were no interrelated effects of vitamin A and copper deficiency on iron status. Copper deficiency slightly depressed liver, spleen, and kidney zinc concentrations. Vitamin A deficiency lowered zinc concentrations in heart, but only when the diets were deficient in copper.
Van Houwelingen
F
F
Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Van den Berg
G J
GJ
Lemmens
A G
AG
Sijtsma
K W
KW
Beynen
A C
AC
D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology; D006400:Hematocrit; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*
D014801:Vitamin A; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D015032:Zinc