AOR- Zinc - Copper Balance 100caps

Ten to One

Both animal and human evidence suggests that, for optimal utilization of both minerals, the balance between zinc and copper should be about ten-to-one. This isn’t just a theoretical concern.

The Negative Effects of 23.5:1

In a series of human studies, putting volunteers on a diet and supplement regimen in which the ratio between zinc and copper was 23.5-to-one (and sometimes lower) – common zinc-to-copper ratios found in many multivitamins on health food store shelves – resulted in wide-ranging metabolic disturbances, including reduced levels of the copper-based antioxidants enzymes cytosolic superoxide dismutase and ceruloplasmin, increased total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, anemia, reductions in the body’s levels of enkephalins (natural pain-killing molecules), and cardiac dysfunction.

Ironic Immune Dysfunction

At the extreme, out-of control zinc supplementation impairs immune function, despite the fact that an adequate intake of zinc is necessary for normal immune function. This is especially galling, considering that the most common reason for zinc supplementation is to support healthy immunity. One reason for this may be copper’s important role in immune function: one of the classic signs of ‘simple’ copper deficiency is depressed levels of important white blood cells (leukocytes and neutrophils).

Common Dysfunctions: Could They Be Related?

Over the long term, it seems that other problems linked to long-term, subclinical ‘simple’ copper deficiency – such as impaired bone metabolism, poor glucose metabolism, sore and inflamed joints, neurological dysfunction, and increased levels of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGE) – would also manifest from a functional copper deficiency created by excessive zinc intake, leading top copper researcher Dr. Leslie M. Klevay to warn of the “hazards of zinc supplements.” The problem, of course, is not zinc supplements – but excessive or unbalanced zinc supplementation.

Zinc and Prostate Health

Many men take zinc supplements to support the health of their prostate, because the prostate has the highest levels of this mineral of any organ of the body. Most studies have found that low levels of zinc in the prostate are associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).

Copper: The Free Radical Myth

Aside from an overemphasis on the benefits of zinc and a mysterious tendency to ignore copper’s benefits, much of the reason for unbalanced zinc supplementation has come from the myth that copper is a ‘pro-oxidant’ mineral, which might accelerate free radical damage in the body. The reason for this concern is the so-called Fenton reaction, whereby “transition metals” (such as iron and copper), when present in their free, ionic form, can catalytically convert the mildly-dangerous hydrogen peroxide into the vicious hydroxyl radical.

But while copper ions can trigger the Fenton reaction in the artificial conditions of the test tube, it’s a non-issue from a health perspective – because the body just doesn’t contain enough free, ionic copper to be of concern. Test-tube studies showing that ionic copper can accelerate the oxidation of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol, for instance, have used copper ion concentrations that are literally millions of times as high as are found in the body. In fact, controlled human studies have shown that even at high intakes (up to 7 milligrams a day), copper supplements don’t increase free radical damage in the body, but actually tend to decrease it, probably because of the nutrient’s indispensable role in the body’ antioxidant defenses.