Comment · Thu, January 23, 2025 · ND Owner
Microzinc users make sure to get your copper levels checked!!
Original post in this thread
Tall_jacked2626 · 33 points
I had very low ferritin caused by a copper deficiency.
I supplemented 2mg-4mg of thorne copper supplement for a week and my ferritin level already more than doubled, but my copper is still low. I suspected my copper was low because my iron levels are fine, but my ferritin was very low at 24, so I tested copper and ferratin again. I started taking copper ahead of time before the second test. Idk what my copper level was before.
I’m adding beef organ meat into my diet too.
Does anybody know how much my copper is? Like how bad is having a level of 64?
What they were answering
OPengiun · 0 points
It was my understanding that the sucrosomial nature of microzinc DOES NOT compete with copper absorption. I'd wager your copper deficiency is unrelated.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
That is correct, but as always, things are more complex than that. Microzinc will avoid the bulk of the competitive absorption issues with zinc and copper, as it goes through a different pathway. It's actually multiple pathways: endocytosis, M cell pathway, and through macrophages. This reduces its interactions with the absorption of other nutrients like copper. However, there is a separate process that the body uses to maintain homeostasis via metallothionein. When zinc levels go up, the body makes more metallothionein. Since metallothionein has a higher affinity for copper than zinc, this inhibits the ability of copper to get to serum. So while Microzinc avoids the competitive inhibition of absorption with copper, there is another mechanism that can lower copper if zinc levels get too high. OP says that he was taking our 40mg capsules, sometimes twice a day. That's way too much zinc. The RDI of zinc is 11mg per day. Each 40mg capsule of our Microzinc contains 16.8mg elemental zinc. If he was taking two some days, that's 33.6mg of zinc per day, or three times the RDI. That's still lower than the upper limit of 40mg, but we don't know what he was getting from other sources. Our 40mg capsules were not intended to be used like this. Perhaps we should have a more clear warning to ensure customers understand.
So yes, Microzinc will not compete for absorption with copper, due to the sucrose ester it is encased by. However, that is not the only homeostatic process in the body that affects copper levels based on zinc levels. If you go high enough, then the increase in metallothionein will start to affect copper levels as well. That's not a competitive absorption mechanism, but can still lower available copper in the body. Taking one or two of our original 20mg Microzinc capsules will not affect copper levels, as long as you have enough in your diet. However, two of our 40mg might, if your dietary copper intake is low. This is especially true if there are other factors, like alcohol intake.