Diets high in copper or calcium have what effect on zinc toxicokinetics?

Get ready for the ACVPM Toxicology Exam with our comprehensive quiz. Enhance your knowledge with multiple-choice questions and detailed explanations. Prepare effectively for your certification exam!

Multiple Choice

Diets high in copper or calcium have what effect on zinc toxicokinetics?

Explanation:
Diets high in copper or calcium reduce zinc absorption, lowering its bioavailability and creating a deficiency. Copper stimulates enterocyte production of metallothionein, a protein that binds zinc tightly; when enterocytes slough off, zinc bound by metallothionein is lost in feces, so net zinc absorption drops. Calcium competes with zinc for intestinal uptake and can form insoluble complexes, further decreasing zinc solubility and absorption and increasing zinc excretion in the gut. Together, these interactions diminish zinc availability to the body, leading to zinc deficiency even if zinc intake is not reduced.

Diets high in copper or calcium reduce zinc absorption, lowering its bioavailability and creating a deficiency. Copper stimulates enterocyte production of metallothionein, a protein that binds zinc tightly; when enterocytes slough off, zinc bound by metallothionein is lost in feces, so net zinc absorption drops. Calcium competes with zinc for intestinal uptake and can form insoluble complexes, further decreasing zinc solubility and absorption and increasing zinc excretion in the gut. Together, these interactions diminish zinc availability to the body, leading to zinc deficiency even if zinc intake is not reduced.

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