IOSR Journal of Sports and Physical Education (IOSR-JSPE) e-ISSN: 2347-6737, p-ISSN: 2347-6745, Volume 2, Issue 5 (Sep. – Oct. 2015), PP 25-32 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/6737-0252532 www.iosrjournals.org 25 | Page Copper, iron, zinc and magnesium status of physically active young Indian males Gurseen Rakhra, Daisy Masih, Annu Vats , Saroj K.Verma , Vijay K.Singh, Vandana Kirar, Archana Singh , Mallika Manral,Som Nath Singh Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi- 110054 All correspondence to Dr. Som Nath Singh I. Introduction Many of the nutritionally important elements present in traces (copper, iron and zinc) or in large quantities (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium) participate in a plethora of biological processes in human body. Copper, iron, zinc and magnesium act as cofactors for several enzymes in energy metabolism therefore it is important to study the interactions between exercise and nutritionally important minerals [1]. Copper, iron, zinc and magnesium play important roles in facilitating the conversion of chemical energy of food into potential energy for work and thereby integrate physiological functions to enhance physical performance. Individuals involved in some kind of physical activity require adequate amount of these micronutrients in their diet to ensure the capacity for increased energy expenditure and enhanced work performance. Some of the studies carried out in the past years have shown exercise influences the status of minerals in the human body. Physical activity results in short term increase of mineral loss in both urine and sweat, which leads to alteration and perturbation of mineral status [2]. Decreased zinc and magnesium concentrations in serum have been reported in athletes participating in some kind of physical activity [3, 4]. Dietary intake and biochemical profile is generally used to determine the nutritional status of minerals. Dietary intake patterns and biochemical profiles of copper, iron, zinc and magnesium have not been measured concurrently in active healthy male population. Although copper, iron, zinc and magnesium are considered nutritionally important minerals and are generally non-toxic; some of the studies have indicated that the excessive intake or deficiency of metals can lead to serious health effects. Trace elements are generally considered as the missing link in many of the common human diseases like osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and arthritis. Iron is a mineral which is found in almost every cell of the human body and is vital for various physiological functions. It is a component of various important enzymes like catalase, cytochrome, peroxidases and plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy immune system, carrying oxygen from lungs to tissues and in aiding energy production. However, the deficiency of iron in the body can lead to fatigue, lethargy, impaired learning etc and is the most common nutritional deficiency affecting almost 15 % of the world’s population [5]. Copper (about 1.5-2.0 ppm) is present in adult human body as a constituent of some of the metalloenzymes like cytochrome c oxidase of the mitochondrial electron transport and cytosolic Superoxide dismutase and is also required for haemoglobin synthesis [6]. Copper deficiency in humans leads to demineralization of bones, depressed growth, gastrointestinal disturbances etc. while excess of copper causes liver cirrhosis, neurological disorders, dermatitis etc [6]. Zinc which makes up approximately 33 ppm of the normal adult human body is an important constituent of several enzymes involved in large number of physiological functions such as protein synthesis and energy metabolism. It also acts as a cofactor for the important antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). The deficiency of zinc leads to dwarfism, dermatitis, and hypogonadism while toxicity resulting from excessive intake leads to anaemia, lethargy and electrolyte imbalance [7, 8]. Magnesium is an important intracellular cation in human cells and is a cofactor of nearly 300 enzymes. It is involved in all the major cellular processes such as energy metabolism, DNA transcription & protein synthesis [9]. Magnesium deficiency has been implicated in a number of diseases of cardiovascular & neuromuscular function, malabsorption syndrome, diabetes mellitus, renal wasting, and alcoholism [10]. The level of nutritionally important minerals needs to be determined or evaluated in physically active individuals so as to prevent their toxicity and deficiency. There have been very few attempts to curb mineral deficiencies and toxicities in humans through large scale intervention programmes and the possible explanation for the failure to confront mineral deficiencies and toxicities is the lack of specific data on the status of nutritionally important minerals. A large number of nutrition surveys have been conducted so far to evaluate the mineral status of men but there is paucity of data on the status of nutritionally important minerals for physically active healthy population [11, 12]. Also, a large amount of variability has been found in the levels of