What does copper have to do with iron? A lot. Iron and copper are the only two metals that regulate oxygen. Iron carries oxygen, and copper activates that oxygen and turns it into water.
Copper is also responsible for regulating the amount of iron that enters the blood. If copper levels are too low, iron remains stored in tissues. This is what causes anemia, or lack of iron “in the blood.” Therefore, copper deficiency leads to iron deficiency.
Focusing your energy on correcting the iron deficiency leaves you neglecting the underlying cause, copper deficiency. For this reason, in 1954, after trying iron supplements, bread, fruit, and even arsenic, scientists were able to cure anemia with beef liver.
The other interesting thing is that while iron gets all the credit for transporting oxygen in hemoglobin, copper is the mineral that is responsible for moving oxygen and is the only metal that activates oxygen and turns it into water. We also use copper to make ATP, or energy, in the body. One heartbeat requires one billion ATP. If we don’t have enough copper in the body or have too much iron, we won’t produce enough energy. The balance between copper and iron is critical for adequate energy production, which means it’s essential for healthy hormones.
How To Get More Copper:
+ Beef liver (I love Paleovalley’s Organ Complex—use code HORMONEHEALINGRD10 for a discount!)
+ Oysters
+ Cooked shiitake mushrooms
+ Cacao powder/chocolate
+ Citrus fruit
+ Chlorophyll
This post is for information purposes only. I cannot give medical advice on this platform. If you’d like more information, check out season 1, episode 6 of the Are You Menstrual? Podcast to learn more about the connection between copper and iron. I also have a deep dive episode on copper which you can listen to here.
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