Healthy shopping: Bioavailable copper supplements

Could you benefit from a copper supplement? Joanna Evans selects a handful of high-quality options

Copper is an essential antioxidant mineral that’s critical for health. But many of us aren’t getting enough of it, as Cate Montana reports in Copper Counts: Why This Essential Mineral Shouldn’t Be Overlooked. Copper supplements could therefore be helpful, and they’re a key part of the Root Cause Protocol— a structured approach to healing through mineral balance—developed by functional diagnostic nutrition expert Morley Robbins.

Specifically, Robbins recommends bioavailable copper supplements. But what does this mean exactly?

Bioavailability is a substance’s ability to be absorbed and used by the body. Chelated forms of copper, like copper bisglycinate or glycinate, are generally considered the most bioavailable forms. These are copper molecules bound to amino acids, which helps your body absorb them more easily and gently.

Besides checking the form of copper when searching for a supplement, here are a few more things to consider.

Other ingredients. Scan the ingredients list for unnecessary fillers, binders and artificial additives. You want as “clean” a formula as possible.

Dosage. Check the dosage of copper you’ll be getting per capsule and how many capsules you’ll need to take.

Testing. Is the product tested, ideally by a third party, for potency and purity?

High manufacturing standards. Is the supplement manufactured according to stringent quality standards? Look for certifications from trusted bodies such as NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) International, the world’s authority on current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs).

If you’re unsure about anything, get in touch with the supplement company to check. But to save you the hard work, we’ve tracked down three high-quality, highly bioavailable copper supplements available to buy in the US and UK.

Formula IQ
Recuperate IQ, $35/£37.99 (60 capsules)
US: formulaiq.com; UK: yourhealthbasket.co.uk

Morley Robbins helped formulate this supplement, which combines copper bisglycinate (2 mg/capsule) with beef liver powder, spirulina, turmeric extract and boron to support how the body naturally uses copper. Like all Formula IQ supplements, it’s made in the USA in labs certified by the NSF and cGMP and undergoes rigorous quality testing.

Pure Encapsulations
Copper (Glycinate), $13/£9.99 (60 capsules)
US: pureforyou.com; UK: healf.com

This vegan formula is free of gluten, soy, eggs, dairy and peanuts, so it’s ideal if you have allergies or want to avoid animal products. It supplies 2 mg of copper per capsule, as copper glycinate, and includes only two other ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose (plant fiber) and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (the vegetarian capsule).

Thorne
Copper Bisglycinate, $19/£12.99 (60 capsules)
US: thorne.com; UK: healf.com

Containing 2 mg copper per capsule, this supplement uses TRAACS® Copper Bisglycinate Chelate, a specific branded form of copper developed by Albion Laboratories to be well absorbed and gentle on the stomach. It’s NSF and GMP-certified, plus third-party tested to verify the contents match the label and to confirm it’s free of contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides.

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