Copper is an essential mineral that many enzymes need for energy production, iron metabolism, connective tissue and brain chemistry, and a wide range of plant and animal foods provide it1.
Copper is a cofactor for enzymes, called cuproenzymes, involved in energy production1.
Ceruloplasmin, the main copper protein in plasma, plays a role in iron metabolism1.
Your body uses copper to make connective tissues and blood vessels2.
Needed for brain development and for making neurotransmitters, and helps maintain the nervous system1.
Copper-containing superoxide dismutases are a main defence against oxidative damage, and copper supports immune function1.
Copper is absorbed mainly in the upper small intestine, where the CTR1 transporter takes it into gut cells and ATP7A passes it into blood that flows to the liver13. In the liver, ATP7B loads copper into ceruloplasmin, which carries more than 95% of the copper in plasma, and moves excess copper into bile13.
| Food and serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Baking chocolate, unsweetened, 1 oz | 938 µg |
| Potato, cooked, flesh and skin, 1 medium | 675 µg |
| Shiitake mushrooms, cooked, ½ cup | 650 µg |
| Cashews, dry roasted, 1 oz | 629 µg |
| Sunflower seed kernels, toasted, ¼ cup | 615 µg |
| Dark chocolate, 70–85% cacao, 1 oz | 501 µg |
| Tofu, raw, firm, ½ cup | 476 µg |
| Chickpeas, ½ cup | 289 µg |
| Food and serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Beef liver, pan fried, 3 oz | 12,400 µg |
| Oysters, eastern, wild, cooked, 3 oz | 4,850 µg |
| Crab, Dungeness, cooked, 3 oz | 624 µg |
| Turkey giblets, simmered, 3 oz | 588 µg |
| Salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, 3 oz | 273 µg |
Amounts are in micrograms (µg); 1,000 µg equals 1 mg. The share of copper absorbed falls as intake rises1. Amounts per serving from1.
Tap water and other drinks can add copper, and the amount varies widely by source1.
Copper is in many multivitamin/mineral products, from a few micrograms to 15 mg per product1.
About 75% of copper is absorbed from a low-copper diet but only 12% from a very high-copper one1.
The same reference table draws the reference lines on your charts in Ayuvo. Needs differ in pregnancy and breastfeeding, which are not covered here.
| Age | Women | Men | Upper limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19–30 | 0.9 mg | 0.9 mg | 10 mg |
| 31–50 | 0.9 mg | 0.9 mg | 10 mg |
| 51–70 | 0.9 mg | 0.9 mg | 10 mg |
| 71+ | 0.9 mg | 0.9 mg | 10 mg |
RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) is the daily amount that meets the needs of nearly all healthy people. Per day, for adults1.
Upper limit (UL) is the most per day that is unlikely to cause harm. Applies to food, drinks and supplements combined.
Signs like these have many possible causes. They are a reason to talk to a clinician, not to self-treat.
Copper deficiency is uncommon; celiac disease, the rare genetic Menkes disease and high-dose zinc supplements raise the risk1.
Copper toxicity is rare in healthy people, but it has come from water that stood in copper pipes and from Wilson disease, a rare genetic condition1.
Copper status is not routinely checked and no marker reliably reflects it; studies measure blood copper and ceruloplasmin, which also shift with estrogen, pregnancy, infection and inflammation1.
| Serum test | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Copper | 10–25 µmol/L (63.5–158.9 µg/dL) |
| Ceruloplasmin | 180–400 mg/L |
Labs use different units and ranges. Your clinician reads a result alongside your history and other tests.
Copper comes in copper-only products, in combination supplements and in many multivitamin/mineral products1.
A common form; no studies have compared how well the different forms are absorbed1.
Another common supplement form1.
Copper bound to amino acids, such as copper glycinate1.
Also widely used; it is not known whether one form is better than another2.
Supplements can interact with medicines. Talk to a clinician or pharmacist before you start one, especially at high doses.
Yes. Cashews, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate, shiitake mushrooms, potatoes, tofu, chickpeas and whole grains all provide copper, so a varied vegetarian diet can supply it without organ meats or shellfish.
High intakes of zinc interfere with copper absorption in the gut. Taking high-dose zinc supplements regularly, or using large amounts of zinc-containing denture cream, can lead to low copper status over time.
Copper toxicity is rare in healthy people, but it has been reported when water sits in copper pipes and fixtures and picks up copper. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets a limit of 1.3 mg per litre for copper in public water systems.
Food logging does not estimate copper, so Ayuvo tracks it from supplements you log in Medications, and from Apple Health on iPhone or Health Connect on Android when another app saves it there. Charts by day, week, month and year use the reference lines from this page, personalised by age and sex where they differ. Free, with no account.
Or read the code: Ayuvo is open source
Facts on this page come from these sources, checked on the dates shown. Intake numbers come from Ayuvo's shared reference table, which cites the sources marked for them.
General information, not medical advice. This guide is for healthy adults and does not cover pregnancy, breastfeeding, children or medical conditions. It cannot diagnose or treat anything. Talk to a clinician before starting high-dose supplements, or if you think you may have too little or too much of a nutrient. Spotted an error? Email us.