COPPER: SUPPLEMENTATION VS DIET

[frannybananny]

Which one do you mainly prefer to increase your copper level? Why?

If diet, what do you eat, and how much?

If supplementation, what do you take, how much?

One way to get supplementation is to get a copper pitcher and keep it with drinking water in it on the counter or in the fridge. This is the Indian/Aryuvedic way but I guess there is no way to measure the amount of mg copper you are getting.

 

[freyasam]

My is test, don't guess. Test zinc and copper together at least 1x/year for a better plan of action.

What's the best way to test these?

 

[Beatrix_]

What's the best way to test these?

I have been successfully relying on serum levels to gauge how much zinc to copper to take.

 

[Logan-]

pear juice

I have never heard of juiced pears, I will try them in the winter. I just checked the nutrition data of pears, didn’t know it was such a good source of copper.

 

[Logan-]

Just toasted in the skillet with butter, I don't cook them the same way as white buttons(boiling for hours). Tastes fantastic.

I did the same a few years ago, that was the first and only time I tried shiitake mushrooms. Cooked them just like you do, and it gave me a bad case of diarrhea, so I stayed away from them. They taste great though. Boiling the mushrooms for hours reduces their agaritine/hydrazine, fodmap, and oxalate content significantly. Maybe I’d tolerate shiitake mushrooms better if I boiled them for at least an hour, then cook in a pan with oil for added taste.

 

[Gawdawg]

Which one do you mainly prefer to increase your copper level? Why?

If diet, what do you eat, and how much?

If supplementation, what do you take, how much?

I eat ground bison that includes the bison liver and heart. I also eat shellfish once in awhile.
If you use a copper supplement, the bisglycinate form may be the better choice. No more than 2mg daily.

 

[Logan-]

I eat ground bison that includes the bison liver and heart. I also eat shellfish once in awhile.
If you use a copper supplement, the bisglycinate form may be the better choice. No more than 2mg daily.

Thanks. I have never tried ground liver, but I will try it one day. It could be a good idea to mix it with ground meat. I have also read how some people make liver like a paste, but I don’t know how that’s done.

I make it the old way, buy it fresh, cut in cubes, cooked in a pan with coconut oil. Fast cooking in high temp.

Do you know of a good supplement?

 

[Logan-]

My is test, don't guess. Test zinc and copper together at least 1x/year for a better plan of action.

That’s a great idea. I will ask my doctor about the tests.

 

[Logan-]

One way to get supplementation is to get a copper pitcher and keep it with drinking water in it on the counter or in the fridge. This is the Indian/Aryuvedic way but I guess there is no way to measure the amount of mg copper you are getting.

That’s interesting, but as you stated, there’s no reliable way of knowing how much copper that would provide.

 

[Logan-]

@Dan W, in his website toxinless, suggests purebulk’s copper gluconate powder.

“Suggestion for copper gluconate powder:
PureBulk Copper Gluconate (Powder)
Available on PureBulk
Positives:

• silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
• stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
• hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free

Negatives:
(none)
All ingredients:
Copper gluconate.
A recent COA is available.”

What do you think of this product? It’d be somewhat hard to measure 2 milligrams of copper every day. Other than that, the product and the price seem good.

Copper Gluconate Powder Pure

Copper is especially important as a key component of dozens of enzymes in the human body. Find this and more supplements at PureBulk, Inc.

purebulk.com

 

[Jennifer]

I have never heard of juiced pears, I will try them in the winter. I just checked the nutrition data of pears, didn’t know it was such a good source of copper.

Yep, and calorie for calorie, coconut water provides even more copper than pear juice and crab provides the most out of all the sources I listed. Just 113 g of crab provides over 100% of the RDA.

 

[Gawdawg]

Thanks. I have never tried ground liver, but I will try it one day. It could be a good idea to mix it with ground meat. I have also read how some people make liver like a paste, but I don’t know how that’s done.

I make it the old way, buy it fresh, cut in cubes, cooked in a pan with coconut oil. Fast cooking in high temp.

Do you know of a good supplement?

Thorne has the bisglycinate form of copper.

 

[youngsinatra]

Beef heart is also rich in copper. (6 oz gives you 1mg of copper)

It‘s also relatively low in zinc, similar to liver, but it’s also low in vitamin A, which is a good for people who get symptoms from excess vitamin A consumption.

Beef heart is a powerhouse of nutrients - riboflavin, B12, selenium, iron, copper, CoQ10, choline. You hit RDA of all those with just 6-8oz a day.

I think it’s superior to shrimp and seafood. Also cheaper.

 

[Vinero]

Yep, and calorie for calorie, coconut water provides even more copper than pear juice and crab provides the most out of all the sources I listed. Just 113 g of crab provides over 100% of the RDA.

Pineapple juice seems to be a good source of copper as well.

 

[Jennifer]

Pineapple juice seems to be a good source of copper as well.

Yes, it has just slightly less copper than pear juice. :)

 

[Logan-]

Beef heart

I have tried both beef and lamb heart in the past, couldn’t like their taste. How do you cook them?

 

[Logan-]

Thorne has the bisglycinate form of copper.

Thanks, I will look into it.

 

[Logan-]

coconut water

Coconut water, if it’s from freshly opened, unspoiled coconut, tastes great; but I am allergic to all things coconut so I stay away from them. Good ideas though.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“Copper helps the body absorb iron. Your body also needs copper to make energy.

Your body does not need much copper. Many people do not get enough copper in their diet, but it is rare to be truly deficient in copper. Signs of possible copper deficiency include anemia, low body temperature, bone fractures and osteoporosis, low white blood cell count, irregular heartbeat, loss of pigment from the skin, and thyroid problems.

People who take high amounts of zinc, iron, or vitamin C may need more copper, but you should ask your health care provider before taking copper supplements. Too much copper can be dangerous.

Foods that contain copper include oysters, liver, whole grain breads and cereals, shellfish, dark green leafy vegetables, dried legumes, nuts, and chocolate.”

Copper Information | Mount Sinai - New York

Learn about Copper or find a doctor at Mount Sinai Health System.

www.mountsinai.org

 

[Logan-]

„We report a 39-year-old woman with slowly progressive spastic gait and paresthesia in the lower extremities. Cervical spinal MRI revealed high intensity in the dorsal column from vertebrae C2 to C7. Laboratory findings showed normal vitamin B12 and low serum copper level. By lifestyle history taking, we noticed her extreme unbalanced diet of having 15-20 oysters everyday over 5 years. Then we considered that zinc excess caused copper deficiency myelopathy. We needed to pay attention to copper and zinc level if the patient has a symptom resembling subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord with normal serum vitamin B12.“

[Copper deficiency myelopathy probably caused by long-lasting daily excessive intake of zink] - PubMed

We report a 39-year-old woman with slowly progressive spastic gait and paresthesia in the lower extremities. Cervical spinal MRI revealed high intensity in the dorsal column from vertebrae C2 to C7. Laboratory findings showed normal vitamin B12 and low serum copper level. By lifestyle history...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I think oysters can be a great source of zinc, but they are probably not great for improving copper status. Organ meats are probably the only consistent source of copper.

Beef liver is way too high in vitamin A in my opinion aswell, but I think historically it was probably okay when eaten once a week or so.
Sweetbread cuts of meat contain a lot of copper too.

Squid is another good candidate, but I think seafood is best to be completely avoided nowadays due to pollution and the thought of eating it feels off to me.

Mushrooms contain a good amount of copper on paper, but with today‘s agricultural methods I don‘t know how much copper is really in it (and in plant foods in general) these days. Some sources say that copper is the number #1 deficient mineral in agriculture. (the highest reduction I have read was -90%)

Chocolate and nuts are okay sources, but I think these are more like snack foods, and best to be eaten in such quantities of snacks, as they contains significant amounts of oxalates.

Severe Copper Deficiency By Daily Oyster Consumption (PubMed Case-Study)

„We report a 39-year-old woman with slowly progressive spastic gait and paresthesia in the lower extremities. Cervical spinal MRI revealed high intensity in the dorsal column from vertebrae C2 to C7. Laboratory findings showed normal vitamin B12 and low serum copper level. By lifestyle history...

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