Relationship between dietary and plasma copper levels of pregnant Nigerian women.

Dietary copper intake as well as plasma copper levels were assessed in a group of pregnant Nigerian women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Intake of zinc, protein and energy was also measured. Dietary intake was assessed by cumulative 24-hour recalls while plasma copper was assessed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Dietary copper levels were relatively lower than those documented in the literature for other physiological groups. The intake of other nutrients was below recommended dietary allowances. When corrected for the effect of gestation and maternal age, one-way analysis of variance showed that plasma copper varied with the level of dietary copper intake. Correlation analysis seems to suggest that the influence of dietary copper on plasma levels during pregnancy is partially dependent on the relative amounts of copper and zinc as represented by the copper:zinc ratio in the diets consumed.