But... Isn't Copper Healthy?

How many times have you heard the message, "copper can't be dangerous, it's an essential nutrient"?

All the while, countless people have had their lives and health de-railed because of copper toxicity, often even told by their "health" practitioner that there's no such thing (despite mountains of scientific evidence and published research to the contrary). The nature of copper is complex, and certainly nowhere near as simple as just viewing the one-sided benefits which are commonly promoted. 

Copper is absolutely an essential nutrient for good health.  We all need copper, there is no denying this fact.  However, for the world to ever grasp the nature of copper "toxicity" more fully, there is a key misconception – ingrained within the belief of many – that if a little bit of something is healthy, then more of it is even better. Without recognizing the danger in that mindset, people may continue to unknowingly endanger their own long-term health (or even that of the patients they serve).  Rarely, if ever, will they be able to connect the dots backward in time to the underlying cause of their symptoms.  

Let’s look at a few examples to illustrate why balance (including the body's ability to properly metabolize copper) is the key to copper being healthy, and why more is not always better.

Consider, for example, a mineral that plays a vital role in thyroid and brain health, as well as supports the adrenals, energy, detoxification, and even protects against various infections.  Sounds good… we should all load up!  But wait!  Too much of this mineral (especially taken incorrectly), could negatively impact the thyroid, could lead to heart disease, and even induce auto-immunity.  As essential and beneficial as iodine is, too much of it, taken or titrated incorrectly, could backfire on one’s health. 

What is there was a vitamin, which everyone knows is healthy (including supporting immune health, bone integrity, and providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits…) yet in excess could end you up in hospital.  High dose vitamin D supplementation is common these days, largely because people are told about all the benefits of Vitamin D.  Yet, too much of that “essential nutrient” can lead to hypervitaminosis D – a dangerous and toxic condition.

Or what about another mineral with immense importance for the health of the thyroid... There's a particular mineral that plays a critical role in thyroid hormone metabolism, supports DNA synthesis, offers protection against infection, is also an important anti-oxidant, and may even play a preventative role against cancer, among other benefits.  Sounds amazing… and how easy it could be to promote taking lots of this nutrient if we were to just focus on all these benefits.  However, does that mean we should take lots of it?  Absolutely not!  Even though it's an essential nutrient, too much of this mineral can cause recognized toxicity.  The mineral here is selenium, and too much selenium can cause a toxic condition known as selenosis. With selenosis, in a similar dichotomous way as copper, many of the symptoms that selenium supports at a healthy level could actually be made worse.  

Shall we keep going?  What if there was a mineral that plays a vital role in our energy production?  Sounds great, let's take lots!  After all, who doesn't want more energy?!.   But again, wait… too much of this mineral could cause oxidative damage, increase joint pains, cause hemochromatosis, and even heart failure.  Iron is an essential nutrient.  Too much of it, however, can be damaging (and in some circles is openly referred to as “iron toxicity”). 

Yet, mysteriously, when it comes to copper, all of these lessons taught to us through other nutrients get ignored, brushed off, and forgotten.  Indeed, the nutrient world is filled with nutrients that are vitally important, if not absolutely essential to health, and yet, in excess, can be detrimental to health.  It is the denial of that fundamental fact when it comes to copper that adds to why copper “toxicity” is so often denied.  “You can’t have copper toxicity, copper is essential to the body!” is the argument.  This messaging has continued to leave people in the dark from finding answers to symptoms potentially caused by their overexposure to, or inability to adequately clear, the essential nutrient copper. 

It's so easy at an elementary level to look at just one side of something, point out the benefits, and then sell people on those benefits (after all, that’s really the foundation to all of marketing).  Yet, there are always two sides to any story.  There are many nutrients which have positive, even essential, qualities at one level and yet cause negative symptoms on the other.  With copper, the following excerpt below provides a good example of this.  Let's consider one of copper’s widely promoted benefits: “copper is very important in protecting against oxidative damage”.  Yes, copper is beneficial in protecting against oxidative damage and that's what people are commonly told, BUT WHAT THEY'RE NOT BEING TOLD IS:

"Copper has both pro-oxidant and antioxidant effects...

marginal copper deficiency is associated with an unfavorable metabolic pattern,

but copper supplementation might not be recommended in view of

its association with inflammation and markers of oxidative stress…

…Copper is both a pro-oxidant and an antioxidant.

Its antioxidant activity has been attributed to increased CuZnSOD activity. 
…Copper supplementation in healthy volunteers showed an antioxidant effect,

because it protected RBC from oxidation

...on the other hand, copper ions participate in radical reactions such as the conversion of

superoxide to hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, and catalyze the oxidative modification

of LDL in vitro and in the arterial wall; copper excess can induce oxidative damage to DNA.” [2]

And so it is too with most of copper’s other benefits.  Copper supports energy production, yet with toxicity the patient experiences exhaustion / burnout.  Copper is an antifungal, yet with toxicity the patient may struggle with candida.  Copper supports brain health, yet with toxicity it can lead to brain dysfunction and a wide range of mental health conditions.  This duality of copper and understanding