Chromium, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc and magnesium
Chromium, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc and magnesium are minerals present in our body in small amounts and are called “trace elements” or “trace minerals”. These minerals are needed for our wellbeing because they regulate many functions: for example, they modulate muscle activity and help enzymes, vitamins and hormones do their jobs properly in all the body’s tissues.
Why they are done
These tests are carried out on the doctor’s advice to assess a person’s state of wellbeing. The symptoms that may signal general ill health (due to tissues, hormones or enzymes not working properly) are non-specific, i.e. they are not clear, obvious signs (a deficiency may show up, for example, as chronic tiredness, difficulty maintaining weight, headaches or irritability). If test results are abnormal, the balance of trace elements must therefore be restored to avoid the risk of chronic weakness or premature ageing.
How they are done
These laboratory tests may involve a blood sample, a random urine sample (i.e. one collected at any time of day) or a hair analysis. The urine sample is, however, considered the most reliable test because it is the most stable and the least affected by external agents. Blood tests can be altered by food, and hair tests by external chemicals (such as hair dyes, shampoo or the environment). Testing for trace elements (one or all of them) requires no special preparation. Taking medicines does not affect the result, but some medicines (such as diuretics) may limit the absorption of the trace elements themselves, so it is important to tell your doctor what medicines you are taking, especially if the results are abnormal.
Results
NORMAL VALUES
Chromium Blood up to 1 µg/dl
Copper Blood 70-150 µg/dl
Urine 4-50 µg/24 hours
Manganese Blood up to 1 µg/dl
Urine up to 2 µg/dl
Selenium Blood 8-27 µg/dl
Urine 10-100 µg/l
Zinc Blood 50-150 µg/dl
Urine up to 1,100 µg/l
• Class I: values found in people who are not occupationally exposed
• Class II: values found in people working in workplaces where the environmental concentration of the substance tested is below the exposure limits.
What they mean
Chromium:
If the test result is below normal, this can make it harder for the body to regulate glucose.
If the result is above the value given by the laboratory, however, it means that the person has been exposed to environments with high chromium concentrations (this usually happens to certain types of workers in contact with dust or fumes containing it), and this can lead to poisoning.
Copper:
Copper deficiency is found in Menkes disease, a very rare disorder that leads to anaemia that cannot be cured, often associated with malnutrition. In any case, low copper levels in the body can lead to osteoporosis, intellectual disability, damage to the optic nerve, repeated infections and growth delay.
If the result is above normal, it could be a warning sign of leukaemia or liver cirrhosis, but this is very rare.
Manganese:
If the result is below normal, there is a deficiency that affects energy distribution in the body and cell turnover. The effects of deficiency are also important in pregnancy, because they can lead, for example, to poor fetal growth, skull abnormalities and a higher risk of miscarriage.
If the result is above the reference range, the values are generally those found in people exposed to this substance at work, which can become toxic above certain limits.
Selenium:
If the result is below the value given by the laboratory, there is a deficiency that means the cells are not properly protected against attack by free radicals and therefore age prematurely, with the well-known effects on memory, skin and so on.
An excess of selenium in the body, on the other hand, has no clinical significance and is rare.
Zinc:
If the result is below normal, the deficiency affects tissues with high cell turnover, such as the immune system (the body’s natural defence against external agents), which is weakened and may be prone to frequent infections; symptoms such as diarrhoea, irritability, tremors and delayed wound healing may also occur.
If the result is above normal, it has no clinical significance and is in any case very rare.
Magnesium:
If the result is below normal, it may also involve a deficiency of potassium and calcium, with which magnesium is associated. When deficient, all these elements contribute to excessive excitability of the muscle membrane, which can even cause actual seizures,
nausea and tachycardia.
If the result is above normal, it has no clinical significance and is in any case very rare.