Modulation of long chain fatty acid unsaturation by dietary copper

Research over the past 20 years into the effect of copper on fatty acid profiles in several species suggests that copper has a unique effect on long chain fatty acid metabolism. Copper supplementation in the pig and rat and copper deficiency in the rat, mouse and human indicates that inadequate copper intake (or genetic copper deficiency in the brindled mouse and in Menke's disease) impairs the ability to monounsaturate long chain saturated fatty acids and that, conversely, copper supplementation (greater than 150 mg/kg diet) usually increases monounsaturated fatty acids. Several recent studies of copper deficiency in the rat suggest that our interpretation of these effects needs to be more refined since membrane fatty acid profiles do not appear as sensitive to the effects of copper depletion as triglyceride fatty acid profiles. This suggests that changes in long chain fatty acid metabolism other than desaturation may also be affected by copper.