# Copper

Category: Vitamins & Minerals

Also known as: ceruloplasmin

Copper is an essential trace element whose chronic loss, driven by stress and aging, Peat identified as a primary mechanism behind the visible and functional declines of senescence, including loss of elasticity, depigmentation, and decreased respiratory capacity. Its most…

11 passages · 3 authors · 1994–2025 · Most-cited: [Ray Peat](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/voices/ray-peat/index.md)

Canonical page: https://bioenergeticoracle.com/concepts/copper

## Synthesis

**Copper** is an essential trace element whose chronic loss, driven by stress and aging, Peat identified as a primary mechanism behind the visible and functional declines of senescence, including *loss of elasticity*, depigmentation, and decreased respiratory capacity. [Source 1] Its most critical role is as a component of **cytochrome c oxidase**, the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, making it fundamental to oxidative energy production. [Source 1, 8] Peat argued that the body's copper content decreases with age, while iron accumulates, and that this substitution of iron for copper in key enzymes, combined with the loss of copper-dependent antioxidant defenses like **cytoplasmic SOD**, accelerates free radical damage and the formation of lipofuscin. [Source 1]

The relationship between copper and iron is mediated by the copper-binding protein **ceruloplasmin**, which functions as a ferroxidase, keeping iron in its safe, oxidized state for transport and preventing it from catalyzing damaging reactions. [Source 1, 5] However, Peat cautioned against viewing ceruloplasmin as a simple marker to be aggressively increased, noting that it is an *acute phase reactant* that rises in response to stress, estrogen, and inflammation. [Source 2, 4] Dinkov elaborated that ceruloplasmin can rise defensively to sequester iron released during necrotic cell death or infection, and that low levels, rather than high, are a sign of low thyroid function, which impairs the body's ability to retain copper. [Source 3, 7] Roddy has written that a deficiency of bioavailable copper, often paradoxically accompanied by toxicity symptoms, can occur when ceruloplasmin is low, rendering copper "biounavailable." [Source 10, 11]

Copper status is tightly linked to thyroid function and the broader metabolic state. Peat stated that thyroid hormone is needed to absorb and retain copper, likely by modifying cell structure to pull the mineral in, analogous to how thyroid pulls magnesium into cells. [Source 4, 5] Conversely, any stress that disrupts energy production—including *high estrogen*, nitric oxide, low thyroid, or darkness—will tend to cause a loss of copper from the respiratory system, allowing iron to fill the vacancy. [Source 9] The stress hormone cortisol is particularly implicated, as it induces the production of **metallothionein**, a sulfhydryl-rich protein that binds heavy metals. Peat theorized that chronic cortisol exposure leads to an indiscriminate loss of copper alongside toxic metals like cadmium and lead, accounting for the characteristic features of aging. [Source 1]

Assessing copper status is challenging, as standard blood tests for iron and copper can be misleading; iron tends to hide in the liver and bone marrow, and serum copper may not reflect tissue bioavailability. [Source 5, 8] Peat suggested that a reliable, non-invasive sign of a copper problem is the *loss of pigment in hair or skin*, a phenomenon he linked to copper's role in melanin synthesis and illustrated with the case of Carl Pfeiffer, who lost all pigment after years of taking sulfur to deplete copper. [Source 2, 4] Dietary sources of copper include shellfish and liver, though liver also contains significant iron. [Source 9] Peat warned that inorganic copper supplements can degrade nutrients in the stomach by peroxidizing fatty acids, producing a metallic taste, and recommended forms like **copper chlorophyllin** that do not cause this oxidative damage. [Source 6] Roddy has emphasized that supplemental copper is not recommended, and that improving oxidative function and thyroid activity is the primary means of correcting copper utilization. [Source 4, 11]

## People also ask

### How does copper loss contribute to aging?

Peat argued that chronic copper loss driven by stress and aging allows iron to accumulate and substitute for copper in key enzymes, which accelerates free radical damage, lipofuscin formation, and the loss of elasticity and pigment characteristic of senescence.

### Why can copper be biounavailable even with normal blood levels?

The corpus describes how low ceruloplasmin, often due to low thyroid function, can render copper biounavailable, paradoxically causing deficiency symptoms alongside toxicity because the mineral is not properly utilized.

### What is the connection between thyroid function and copper?

Peat stated that thyroid hormone is needed to absorb and retain copper by pulling it into cells, and that low thyroid function impairs this process, leading to copper loss and poor copper utilization.

## Related concepts

- [Fertility and Infertility](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/fertility-and-infertility/index.md)
- [Anemia](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/anemia/index.md)
- [Salt](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/salt/index.md)
- [Thyroid](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/thyroid/index.md)
- [Adrenaline](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/adrenaline/index.md)
- [Aging](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/aging/index.md)

## Cited passages

Passage numbers match the `[Source N]` markers in the synthesis above.

### Source 1 — Generative Energy: Restoring the Wholeness of Life

Ray Peat · Book · 1994

> Lead, for instance, has been spread everywhere, largely as a result of its use in leaded gasoline. Food additives are often contaminated with heavy metals from the sulfuric acid used in their manufacture. Many people are aware of the famous experiments in which food restriction increased the longevity of animals, as if eating were toxic. But removing toxic heavy metals from the food, without restricting the amount of food eaten, has had the same life-extending effect in experimental animals. When estrogen is elevated (as at puberty, or in pregnancy, or with medical estrogen treatment) the absorption of iron is stimulated. During aging, the body's load of iron increases, especially if there is a deficiency of copper, and the body's content of copper decreases with age. Copper is an essential component of cytochrome oxidase, which has the crucial last position in the mitochondrial respiratory system. Copper is a component of the cytoplasmic SOD enzyme, which decreases with age. Ceruloplasmin, a major copper-containing protein, helps to keep iron in its safe oxidized form. Copper is involved in the production of melanin (itself an antioxidant) and elastin. The loss of melanin, elastin, and respiratory capacity, which is so characteristic of senescence, is also produced by excessive exposure to cortisol. The protein, metallothionein, is rich in sulfhydryl groups, which bind heavy metals. It is assumed that this protein helps to detoxify and eliminate the toxic metals. This protein is induced by exposure to either a heavy metal or cortisol. A larger amount is produced in response to the combination of heavy metals and cortisol, than by either alone. Since copper, like the toxic metals cadmium, lead, mercury, and silver, reacts strongly with sulfhydryl groups, the body is likely to lose some copper when it is subjected to heavy metals or cortisol. I think this chronic loss of copper accounts for the obvious features of aging, such as loss of elasticity of the skin, lungs, and blood vessels, the depigmentation (demelanization) of skin, hair, and (in Parkinson's disease) substantia nigra, and for the decrease in respiratory capacity. The replacement of the copper by iron (and the loss of the copper-enzymes which protect against iron-catalyzed free radicals) probably accounts for the increased formation of lipofuscin during aging.

### Source 2 — #61: Bodybuilding and Steroids  |  Progesterone for Men?  |  Basic Bioenergetic Therapies with Ray Peat

Ray Peat (with Georgi Dinkov) · Interview · Jun 27, 2021

> ## Ceruloplasmin and Copper
>
> **Danny Roddy:** There's a question about Morley Robbins' ideas regarding ceruloplasmin. Would you be willing to discuss this from a Ray Peat perspective?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Ceruloplasmin is an acute phase reactant. Is increasing ceruloplasmin a goal of a diet or lifestyle? Not my goal.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** If somebody has low ceruloplasmin, some studies claim this is a sign of low thyroid function. In a situation like that, considering ceruloplasmin takes care of copper, would somebody be at risk if they have low ceruloplasmin and low thyroid when eating high copper foods like liver and shellfish?
>
> **Ray Peat:** I think so. Did you ever read Carl Pfeiffer's books? I think he caused himself to lose pigment by being so obsessive about keeping copper down. He was very concentrated on the risk of too much copper, probably having seen some people with ceruloplasmin deficiency. He took a little capsule of flowers of sulfur every day for many years and had no trace of skin or hair pigment left.

### Source 3 — #60: PUFA as a Mitochondrial Toxin | Vitamin D, Inflammation, and Aging | Iron, Copper, and Anemia with Georgi Dinkov

Georgi Dinkov (with Georgi Dinkov) · Interview · Jun 21, 2021 · https://open.spotify.com/episode/2o7YVyFGyWgLnNX6MpyqLD

> **Danny Roddy:** Just to finish up this, so the ceruloplasmin is a copper-containing enzyme, protein, that binds iron.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** Is that right? Yes, it can buy iron as well. So sometimes if you, for whatever reason, you're not producing enough ferritin, ceruloplasmin can rise as an alternative carrier of iron.
>
> **Danny Roddy:** And I mean, I really should have read up on this before asking questions. But there there was one paper that I did seek out and they were saying, although commonly ceruloplasmin is thought of as the main copier regulating protein, protein, not enzyme. Right. They were saying there was like 20 other ones that that were often not mentioned. But. And then also, doesn't a cell spill out its iron contents either when it dies? So again, something like ceruloplasmin would be defensive. You wouldn't want to increase that.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** That right there explains that when you have a necrotic cell death and the cells are dying very quickly at a large number of them, which happens especially in cancer, and they're dying and rupturing and dumping their contents into the bloodstream, you would have ferritin and or ceruloplasmin rise to pick up those extra metals and basically sequester them.

### Source 4 — #43: Body Temperature, Inflammation, and Aging  |  Copper and Thyroid  |  mRNA Vaccines and Infertility

Ray Peat (with Danny Roddy) · Interview · Dec 18, 2020

> ## Copper and Pigmentation
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Copper is being talked about a lot. You've said chronic loss of copper accounts for features of aging, and that thyroid is needed to absorb copper. Is there a narrative there?
>
> **Ray Peat:** There's a book by A.E. Needham on the nature of the materials involved in organisms. It's a portrait of all the biological elements. I think you should try to get a personal feeling about what its properties are.
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Is there an internal metabolite that copper associates with, similar to how magnesium associates with ATP?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Nothing occurs to me. It's in competition with iron and molybdenum and cooperates closely with zinc. It's a polar pair with selenium.
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Copper is retained in proportion to the protein ceruloplasmin. What increases that?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Stress and estrogen increase it. So you don't want too much of it. Any heavy metal in excess will cause you to overproduce metallothionein, which will fairly indiscriminately deplete your tissues of heavy metals.
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Is copper absorbed in relation to the activity of cytochrome C oxidase? Therefore, if a person is low thyroid, they're not going to retain much copper?

### Source 5 — [3/4] The Male Pattern Baldness Myth - Nutrition and Diagnostics

Danny Roddy · Interview · Aug 3, 2015 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysn_lq2coPw

> **Danny Roddy:** The iron carrying protein ceruloplasmin is copper dependent and a deficiency of copper causes its activity to decrease. Limiting iron, or better yet, inhibiting it with coffee and calcium-rich foods and consuming plenty of copper-rich foods like liver and oysters are long-term considerations for pro-hair nutrition. This might mean a cup of coffee and milk with an iron-rich meal. Tests for iron and copper status can be misleading but lightening or graying of the hair might suggest a need for more copper in addition to thyroid hormone which is needed to absorb it. Age spots or lipofuscin can also suggest the possibility that there is too much iron in addition to the polyunsaturated fats which interact with it. So finally let's talk about the muscle meat to gelatin ratio. Another short and long-term consideration for pro hair nutrition is balancing gelatin with muscle meat. A whole animal contains both muscle meat and gelatin, however in the west we primarily consume muscles. Gelatin contains a powerful anti-inflammatory amino acid called glycine, which has been suggested as a semi-essential amino acid that should be supplemented to guarantee a healthy metabolism. Easy sources of gelatin include shank, ox tail bone broth, and chicharrones. High-quality supplements of gelatin exist as well. Collagen hydrolysate by Great Lakes seems to be a well-tolerated and effective supplement. Dr. Raymond Peat has suggested that a third of one's protein intake could come from gelatin. Personally, I found that a few tablespoons in my coffee is an easy way to incorporate gelatin into the diet. Let's traverse from protein into carbohydrate. Going back to hair metabolism, growing hair requires two times the amount of glucose that resting follicles do. However, hair follicles are extremely inefficient at producing energy, proportionately converting more glucose to lactic acid rather than carbon dioxide.

### Source 6 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 669

Ray Peat · Email · Jun 8, 2021

> ## Thread 3
>
> **Question:** [Copper as coprous and cupric] Do you find copper in its cupric state to be inferior or problematic in relation to cuprous? A recurrent claim in health circles is that it is, which goes against researchers often pointing out that it's readily reduced in the gut and that a great portion of dietary copper occurs in the oxidized state. I'm not aware of anyone being able to discern which form they're consuming from foods, the responses are similar. Is it a real concern when copper is bound to a reliable ligand? Also, what about copper cookware and having it leaching into foods? I know that you've tried to prepare eggs in a copper pan in the past, but what's your position now in terms of safety?
>
> **Ray Peat:** I haven’t cooked anything in copper that didn’t taste bad--that’s enough to discourage its use. A problem with inorganic copper supplements is that they degrade many nutrients in the stomach.
>
> **Question:** I thought that an interaction with foods already in preparation was enough to stabilize it, but now that I think of it, it's possible to detect the metallic taste in a meal. With time it tends to disappear, as in the case of some candies or cheeses prepared in copperware. Is there validity in the claim that ingesting purified copper in its oxidized state is a cause of concern, even when bound to reliable (and organic) ligands?

### Source 7 — #60: PUFA as a Mitochondrial Toxin | Vitamin D, Inflammation, and Aging | Iron, Copper, and Anemia with Georgi Dinkov

Georgi Dinkov (with Georgi Dinkov) · Interview · Jun 21, 2021 · https://open.spotify.com/episode/2o7YVyFGyWgLnNX6MpyqLD

> **Danny Roddy:** This is kind of related. Isn't ferritin an acute phase reactant produced by the liver? And Ray responded to somebody asking about these, and he's basically like... Most of the time when acute phase reactants increase, it's the bad. And so like really high levels of ferritin. But also I know that hypothyroidism can cause low ferritin. And I see that fairly often, especially in women. They'll have like 10 or 20 levels of ferritin. But to preview one of the questions we got, they were asking about ceruloplasmin. And there is a general view in some circles on the internet that you should be trying very hard to increase ceruloplasmin. But I found a lot of evidence that it was increased in bad situations. Like lymphoma. And it's an acute phase reacting as well. And so I'm really skeptical of that idea. Yeah.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** But thyroid actually can raise cerebral plasmin if it's low. So it's really – I guess it comes down to like is it elevated or is it basically – are you trying to correct like a deficiency of it? You don't want to be deficient because if you're deficient in ferritin or cerebral plasmin, pretty much any iron or copper you get through the diet can cause problems.

### Source 8 — Ray Peat Interview on Iron Toxicity, Estrogen, PUFA, Thyroid, and Stress Hormones

Ray Peat · Interview · Sep 15, 2025 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UmFIaFm2Mc

> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, all animals that have estrogen, the female tends to look slightly anemic. Right. Because it does something to slow the production of red blood cells, partly lowering the body temperature is one of the actions of estrogen. slowing down thyroid function so probably the most common cause of apparent anemia as Rhoda Barnes pointed out is hypothyroidism and I think he was the one that mentioned the experiment in which rats whose tail bones normally don't make red blood cells in this experiment they folded the tail back and made a hole in the skin of the abdomen and stitched the tail so it was kept in at core body temperature. And it quickly began producing red blood cells, just raising the temperature. And so the first, safest way to treat anemia might be to wear long wool socks. to warm the extremities.
>
> **Josh Rubin:** Right. Now, what is copper's role in regards to iron? I mean, I know copper is important for iron uptake and utilization.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Its primary role is in the respiratory enzyme cytochrome oxidase. That, I think, is probably the reason that copper is essential for constructing the hemoglobin molecule.

### Source 9 — Blood Pressure Regulation Heart Failure and Muscle Atrophy

Ray Peat · Interview · Jul 20, 2012 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Ce3BdRpds

> **Ray Peat:** Yah. Just the diet can affect it; but stress tends to intensify it. Not getting enough light. Anything that stresses your energy production system, such as high estrogen, or nitric oxide, or low thyroid, or too much darkness will tend to make you loose copper from your respiratory system. And as the copper gets lost, iron just tends to fill in for it, binding to some of the same enzymes.
>
> **Herb Doctor:** I know shell-fish are a rich source of copper, but with the current situation with our Pacific Ocean having Japanese debris wash up on the shores, what would you recommend a good source of copper?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Liver. Just beef liver, calf liver...
>
> **Herb Doctor:** Buffalo liver?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yah. It has a lot of iron too, but the copper tends to concentrate in the liver.
>
> **Herb Doctor:** So the place that copper occupies in the respiratory enzyme has a greater affinity for copper than it does for iron. So if you have an adequate supply of copper than it will get picked up?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yah.
>
> **Herb Doctor:** There is lots of things you have written about iron, how destructive it is, how readily it reacts. That's the main problem, that it's very reactive in the body.

### Source 10 — Reader Comment Q&A — 4 Healthy Foods That Are Sabotaging Your Hair

Danny Roddy · Forum Q&A · Nov 29, 2010 · http://www.dannyroddy.com:80/main/2010/11/29/4-healthy-foods-that-are-sabotaging-your-hair.html

> **James Drover:** Hey Danny. Another thing to keep in mind is that one can be toxic and deficient in an element at the same time, you could have the perfect amount of copper but if its oxidized it will cause damage.
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Thanks for commenting James, If the liver is secreting a low amount of ceruloplasmin, for whatever reason, there may be "biounavalaible" copper and low serum copper at the same time. In other words, toxicity and a deficiency. The literature is sparse on this topic.
>
> **Hmm...:** One potato has 7.75% of your daily value of copper. Potatos also contain 0.035−0.073% of phytate. Guess you should avoid all potatos for now on...
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Thanks for commenting Hmm... True, potatoes contain copper, but they are not as high as the foods listed and consuming them with red meat, our best source of zinc, will limit absorption. Like I said in the article, you have to eat something. Potatoes are not a significant source of phytic acid like grains, just make sure to cook them thoroughly and peel the skin.
>
> **Jacob:** Since we're on the subject of heavy metals...what about all the iron in red meat? A concern if one eats it most days?

### Source 11 — Mo Copper Mo Problems: Why I Was Wrong About Copper - Weblog - Nutrition For Hair & Health

Danny Roddy · Article · Dec 5, 2011

> # Mo Copper Mo Problems: Why I Was Wrong About Copper - Weblog - Nutrition For Hair & Health
>
> Mo Copper Mo Problems: Why I Was Wrong About Copper
> Monday, December 5, 2011 at 12:00PM
> by Danny Roddy
>
> Several months ago I wrote an article about the dangers of excess copper. This article was based off the work of Dr. Gittleman, Dr. Carl Pheiffer, and Dr. Andrew Cutler, who have all suggested that an excess of copper is the cause of many disorders. They're right; copper can be toxic in the wrong context, but consuming low amounts of copper, or avoiding it completely, may have undesired effects.
>
> Mo Copper, Mo Problems
>
> Throughout my health journey my daily journals indicated that supplemental copper had near immediate negative effects. I know, it sounds dramatic, but my reaction to a few milligrams usually resulted in a racing mind combined with intense anxiety.
>
> Curious about my reaction to copper, I hypothesized that I had elevated levels. To test this theory, I had my bewildered doctor order two tests: serum copper and ceruloplasmin.
>
> Copper Plasma 858 ug/L (700-1500) (2008)
> Ceruloplasmin 19.0 (20.0-60.0 mg/dL) (2008)
>
> Not only was my serum copper in the toilet, but it's carrier protein that helps keep iron in its safe oxidized form, ceruloplasmin, was low as well.
>
> It made no sense. I was deficient in copper, but supplementing it made me feel like hell.
>
> Bio-unavailable? Deficiency? Or Neither?
>
> I forgot about my conundrum until I uncovered Dr. Peat's work on copper and its relation to iron. Not only was copper an important factor in hair growth, but its role iron metabolism seemed like it may be relevant in my situation:
>
> [references]
>
> After reading this, I reviewed my ferritin from previous labs:
>
> Ferritin 101.2 (10- 144 ng/mL) (2007)
> Ferritin 131 (25-325 ng/mL) (2008)
> Ferritin 155 (25-325 ng/mL) (2009)
>
> My levels were by no means sky-high, but they were climbing.

_Generated 2026-07-20 from the Bioenergetic Oracle corpus._