Copper, Vegetarian Diets, and Wilson's Disease
Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
It has been reported that copper is less bioavailable from a vegetarian diet, compared to a mixed diet, possibly because of the high content of fiber and phytate in vegetarian diets. This finding suggests that a vegetarian diet may be of value in the treatment of Wilson's disease, a disorder caused by copper accumulation. Two patients with Wilson's showed improvement on a vegetarian diet, despite being almost totally noncompliant with anti-copper medication.
COMMENT: Wilson's disease is treated primarily with penicillamine, a drug that is not without side effects. Recent evidence that Wilson's disease can be controlled by zinc therapy is encouraging. The present study suggest that dietary modification is also helpful. It is possible that a combination of diet and zinc supplements will eliminate the need for penicillamine in some cases.
The typical American diet contains only about 50% of the RDA for copper. Since, as the present study indicates,.the copper in a vegetarian diet is less bioavailable, some vegetarians may be at risk for developing copper deficiency.
Brewer GJ, et al. Does a vegetarian diet control Wilson's disease? J Am Coll Nutr 1993;12:527-530.
