Metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) individuals are potentially at increased risk of developing
metabolic syndrome. Serum
zinc and
copper concentrations were assessed in individuals with MONW to determine whether MONW is associated with altered serum
zinc and/or
copper status. Normal weight subjects (total n = 2419; 1298 men and 1121 women), were recruited as part of Mashhad
Stroke and Heart Association Disorder (MASHAD) Study cohort. They were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of MetS, defined using IDF criteria. Serum
zinc and
copper concentrations were determined by atomic absorption. Of the 2419 normal weight adults, 377 had MetS. Of this group, 53.7% and 49.7% had a serum
zinc <70 µg/dl (Q1) (p = 0.001) or a serum
copper <79 µg/dl (Q1) respectively. Furthermore, 27.3% had a serum
copper >131 µg/dl (Q4) (p = 0.034), and 18.8% had a serum
zinc >95 µg/dl (Q4). Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratio (OR) for an association of serum
zinc,
copper and
zinc to
copper ratio with MetS in normal weight subjects. The subjects with a serum
zinc >95 µg/dl (Q4) had 0.386 [OR: 0.614(95%CI 0.457-0.823)] lower chance of MetS (p = 0.001) and the subjects with a serum
copper >131 (Q4) had OR 1.423 (95% CI: 1.09-1.857) higher chance of MetS (p = 0.009). These data remained significant after adjustment for age and sex, for serum
zinc and
copper, respectively. Furthermore, our results strongly suggested that
zinc and
copper were the independent risk factor for
metabolic syndrome in normal weight subjects. There is an imbalance between serum
copper and
zinc concentrations among individuals with MONW when compared with normal BMI individuals without MetS. This may increase the risk of individuals with MONW developing conditions associated with this imbalance, such as diabetes and
cardiovascular disease.