Some use the term copper overload to describe a high copper to zinc ratio, but in vegetarians this is probably due to zinc levels being extremely low, and not copper levels being very high.
If Zinc levels are low... than copper levels are most likely high. Zinc/Copper levels should be 8:1. That's a significant difference. Vegetarians are deficient in Zinc because the diet is high... in copper. Which is why Zinc is low in the first place.
"This finding suggests that a vegetarian diet may be of value in the treatment of Wilson's disease, a disorder caused by copper accumulation. Two patients with Wilson's showed improvement on a vegetarian diet, despite being almost totally noncompliant with anti-copper medication."
I would question the "treatment". The only thing it list there is Zinc and whatever the hell the drug penicillamine does. It doesn't bring up diet change and vitamin/mineral supplementation to naturally chelate the copper out of the system.
"Since, as the present study indicates,.the copper in a vegetarian diet is less bioavailable, some vegetarians may be at risk for developing copper deficiency."
They are also at risk that copper overload as well. Even both.
My own intake of nuts which are high in copper for example has varied greatly, and there were some long periods of time that I ate no nuts at all.
Nuts are not the only vegetarian food that are high in copper so your decreased intake of nuts makes no difference.
The studies do seem to indicate that vegetarians need more copper intake to have a normal plasma level of copper.
There is no "indication" of that. Check this study out. (
CLICK HERE) It seems to suggest that diet
did not affect plasma copper or ceruloplasmin and was not correlated with plasma copper or ceruloplasmin...
Consuming more copper isn't the problem here. It's eating foods/supplements that support proper copper absorption. High zinc proteins (chicken/turkey/eggs/pumpkin seeds) and non starchy (low copper) low carbohydrates tend to improve copper absorption and bio-availability by enhancing its solubility and intestinal bulk flow. Taking more copper will just make the problem worse but to correct the imbalance by helping copper absorb better while remaining a high Zinc ratio would be a better direction to take IMHO and from what I've read of Ann's book.
Perhaps these thyroid issues are due to not eating fish and having an iodine deficiency?
That is possible as well.
Everywhere I go where they sell vitamins does not have one single multi without copper. GNC (popular store), CVS, and Big Y are the main stores around here that sell these. Not one has a copper free multi. I found one multi in GNC that was .500mgc but that was the lowest. The majority of them have 2mg (the recommended dose). This can be a problem if you are already getting the recommended dose (or higher) just from your diet. And while it appears you're not getting enough (cause of bio-availability etc), it could be just that it's building up in the liver/tissues and hair for that very reason because the body can't utilize it properly. The only way to get a copper free multi (that I know of) is online.
I don't see how that relates to copper though.
Read Ann's book "Why Am I Always So Tired". It's a really good educational eye opener.
I analysed my diet, and suddenly realized I was sodium deficient! I was very shocked to find my diet had less than 500 mg of sodium a day. I ate almost all natural foods that were low in sodium. Since then, I make sure to put salt on my food, even though I don't particularly like the taste of salt. This contrasts with the general population, which probably averages around 5,000 mg a day of sodium, more than double what they should be consuming.
My symptoms would get worse when I had foods that were extremely high in sodium. So I've decreased my salt intake by a lot. The little salt I do take is Sea Salt with Iodine added. And as a precautionary measure, I take a kelp supplement.
Perhaps you also have a carnitine and creatine deficiency which is related to a vegetarian diet. Many vegetarians are deficient in iron, and copper is necessary for the absorption, storage, and utilization of iron. Copper is also part of the hemoglobin molecule.
I stopped being a vegetarian back in early 2007. I am on a (zinc) meat based diet. Chicken, turkey, eggs, and pumpkin seeds. I don't consume any milk accept for a little bit of butter for flavor. I checked the food sources for those two and I do consume foods that have both of those.
