Researchers have discovered that many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) do not receive the recommended daily allowance of important trace minerals such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, and selenium from their diets.1,2 This may be one reason that controlled studies show patients with rheumatoid arthritis having plasma and red blood cell selenium levels that are much lower than those measured in healthy controls.3,4 Selenium plays an important role in the body's immune defense and inflammatory responses; optimal levels are critical for the function of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, which may reduce the free radical damage associated with the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

Zinc may also be fundamental element involved in RA mechanisms. A recent preliminary study revealed that urinary excretion of zinc was much lower in patients with RA than in healthy controls. Twenty-four hours after ingesting a 50 mg zinc tablet, zinc plasma levels for the RA patients showed no significant change, while those of controls rose significantly. These results point to abnormal zinc metabolism in RA patients, which may lead to malabsorption and chronic zinc deficiency.5

Elevated levels of copper, on the other hand, have been linked with the disease severity of RA, and have also been implicated in the development of pathological lesions associated with RA.6,7

Elemental Analysis (hair, urine, or packed erythrocytes) measures levels of crucial toxic and mineral elements in the body using a variety of different specimen types. Hair analysis exposes long-term imbalances and chronic deficiencies. Urine provides a unique window on more recent toxic exposure, nutriture status and chelation therapy, while red blood cells are the most sensitive indicators of how mineral levels may be affecting cellular function.

Related Information: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Oxidative Stress

References:
1 Stone J, Doube A, Dudson D, Wallace J. Inadequate calcium, folic acid,vitamin E, zinc, and selenium intake in rhematoid arthritis arthritis patients: results of a dietary survey. Semin Arthritis Rheum 1997;23(3):180-185.
2 Kremer JM, Bigaouette J. Nutrient intake of patients with rheumatoid arthritis is deficient in pyridoxine, zinc, copper, and magnesium. J Rheumatol 1996;23(6):990-994.
3 Kose K, Dogan P, Kardas Y, Saraymen R. Plasma selenium levels in rheumatoid arthritis. Biol Trace Elem Res 1996;53(1-3):51-56.
4 Tarp U. Selenium and the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase in rheumatoid arthritis. Can Med Bull 1994;41(3):264-274.
5 Naveh Y, Schapira D, Ravel Y, Geller E, Scharf Y. Zinc metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis: plasma and urinary zinc and relationship to disease activity. J Rheumatol 1997;24(4):643-646.
6 Grennan DM, Knudson JM, Dunckley J, MacKinnon MJ, Myers DB, Palmer DG. Serum copper and zinc in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. N Z Med J 1980;91(652):47-50.
7 Youseff AA,Wood B, Baron DN. Serum copper: a marker of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Pathol 1983;36(1):14-17.


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