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Copper status of very low birth weight infants during the first 12 months of infancy
1Nutrition Research Division, Health and Welfare Canada, Ottawa.
Insights
Copper (Cu) status in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants shows formula-fed infants may have low copper status, indicated by low erythrocyte copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) activity, especially with rapid weight gain.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Copper (Cu) is essential for infant development, particularly for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants who are at risk for nutritional deficiencies.
- Assessing copper status is crucial for optimizing growth and health outcomes in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the copper intake and status in VLBW infants fed different formulas or breast milk.
- To identify potential risks for copper deficiency in VLBW infants during the first year of corrected age.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 106 VLBW infants, assessing copper intake and status (plasma Cu, hair Cu, erythrocyte CuZnSOD activity) at multiple time points up to 12 months corrected age.
- Infants were categorized into four feeding groups: supplemental Zn/Cu, placebo, low birth weight formula, and breast milk.
Main Results:
- Plasma copper levels increased in formula-fed infants without significant differences between groups.
- Hair copper was higher in the supplemental group at 3 and 6 months.
- Erythrocyte CuZnSOD activity was lowest in the placebo group and positively correlated with copper intake.
- A significant proportion of formula-fed infants exhibited low CuZnSOD activity by 12 months, particularly those with higher weight gains.
Conclusions:
- Copper status, assessed by CuZnSOD activity, may be suboptimal in a considerable number of formula-fed VLBW infants by 12 months corrected age.
- Rapid weight gain in the first six months may be associated with lower copper status in formula-fed VLBW infants.
- Further research into optimal copper supplementation strategies for VLBW infants is warranted.
Abstract:
The Cu intake and status of 106 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (birth weight 1152 +/- 251 g, gestational age 29 +/- 3 wk, mean +/- SD) were determined approximately 1 mo before hospital discharge, at discharge (time 0), and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo +/- 3 wk corrected for gestational age. Infants were fed either formula plus supplemental Zn/Cu (SUPPL, n = 29); formula plus placebo (PLAC, n = 26); or a low birth weight formula (LBWF, n = 26) or were breast-fed (BRMLK, n = 25). Plasma Cu levels in the formula-fed infants increased significantly at each time period with no significant differences between feeding groups. Hair Cu was significantly higher in the SUPPL group compared to the PLAC, LBWF, and BRMLK groups at 3 and 6 mo. Erythrocyte Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) activity was lowest in the PLAC group. Cu intake was positively correlated with both hair Cu (r = 0.291, p less than 0.0001) and erythrocyte CuZnSOD activity (r = 0.281, p less than 0.001) but not with plasma Cu. An increasing number of formula-fed infants had very low CuZnSOD activity (less than 2 SD below mean) with increasing age (n = 1, 2, 8, 11, and 13 infants at times 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo, respectively). At 12 mo, approximately one third of the formula-fed VLBW infants in this study had low Cu status as assessed by CuZnSOD activity. Infants with the lowest CuZnSOD activity were those with the largest weight gains from 0 to 6 mo and were observed in all formula-fed groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)