Do you need a copper supplement?

Do I need a copper supplement?

Usually not. The NHS says adults aged 19 to 64 need 1.2mg of copper a day. You should be able to get it all from food.

The best sources are nuts, shellfish and offal. Your body uses copper to make red and white blood cells and to release iron for your blood.

On a label, 1mg of copper is 100% of the NRV, the adult reference amount. The NHS 10mg line counts food, water and supplements together.

So the question for most people isn’t copper. It’s how much zinc you take.

Why does zinc lower copper?

Zinc and copper are both absorbed high up in your gut, in the stomach and just past it.

Think of flypaper. Zinc hangs it up, but copper sticks to it best. When the paper goes in the bin, the copper goes too. That’s how months of high zinc can leave you short of copper.

The NHS says high doses of zinc reduce the copper your body can absorb, which can lead to anaemia and weaker bones. Its advice is no more than 25mg of zinc supplements a day, unless a doctor advises it.

A review says 60mg of zinc a day or more, taken long term, can lower the copper you absorb. For doses and forms, see how much zinc to take.

Should a zinc supplement have copper in it?

Usually it doesn’t need to. The NHS gives no zinc-to-copper ratio. Its fix is simpler: keep zinc to 25mg a day or less.

Some products add copper because of big trials. One eye study, AREDS, gave people aged 55 to 80 with signs of age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that blurs central vision, 80mg of zinc with 2mg of copper, added to guard against anaemia. In every group, copper levels barely moved, from a 3% fall to a 2% rise.

That was 80mg, more than three times the NHS limit, in a trial with check-ups. It’s not a dose to copy.

Take zinc in more than one product, like a multivitamin and a cold remedy? Add the mg together. See do I need a multivitamin.

What are the signs of low copper?

Low copper is a rare cause of anaemia. It mainly shows up in two ways. In the blood, it’s typically anaemia or a low white cell count. In the nerves, it can damage the spinal cord in a way that looks like low B12.

People with nerve damage typically have trouble walking, and pins and needles in the arms and legs is common.

These are published case reports, not your odds. But they show where to look: surgery, zinc and gut problems. Many denture creams contain a lot of zinc.

Timing matters. Once copper is replaced, the blood recovers quickly and fully. Nerve damage only partly improved in 49% of cases and stayed the same in 51%. So get symptoms checked early.

Can you take too much copper?

Yes. The NHS says high doses could cause stomach pain, sickness and diarrhoea. Taken for a long time, they could damage the liver and kidneys.

Your body clears extra copper through the liver into bile, a fluid the liver makes to help digest fat. Copper is unlikely to build up unless that route fails, as in liver failure or Wilson’s disease, an inherited condition where copper builds up. Doctors even use high zinc on purpose to lower copper in Wilson’s disease. With either, ask your specialist before any product with copper.

Want to know your zinc level first? See the zinc blood test guide.

When to speak to a GP

Low copper is confirmed by a blood test. Book an appointment if:

• You’ve taken more than 25mg of zinc a day for months without a doctor’s advice.
• You constantly have pins and needles, or it keeps coming back.
• You feel tired, short of breath or paler than usual, get headaches, or notice your heartbeat. The NHS lists these as signs of anaemia caused by low iron, the most common type.
• You’ve had stomach or weight-loss surgery and feel unsteady when you walk.
• You have Wilson’s disease or liver disease and want to take a product with copper.

For anaemia, your GP will usually start with a full blood count. For what the results mean, see the anaemia blood test guide.