Nutrition Diet: What does too much copper in the body cause?

October 21, 2025 •

4 min read

Although copper is a vital trace mineral, excess levels can be toxic, with the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults typically set at 10 mg per day to avoid adverse health effects. This balance is crucial for overall health, and knowing what does too much copper in the body cause is essential for recognizing symptoms and managing intake effectively.

Quick Summary

Excess copper can be caused by genetic conditions like Wilson disease or from over-exposure, leading to a build-up in organs like the liver and brain. This accumulation can result in severe organ damage and a wide array of symptoms, including gastrointestinal issues and neurological problems. Treatment often involves diet modification and medical chelation therapy to remove the excess mineral.

Key Points

Wilson Disease: A genetic disorder, Wilson disease, is a primary cause of copper toxicity, causing it to build up in the liver and brain.
Acquired Exposure: Excessive copper can also be ingested from contaminated water, supplements, or certain cookware, though this is less common.
Acute vs. Chronic Symptoms: Acute exposure can cause gastrointestinal issues like nausea and diarrhea, while chronic buildup can lead to severe liver damage, neurological problems, and psychiatric symptoms.
Diagnosis is Multifaceted: Diagnosing copper toxicity involves a combination of blood tests, urine tests, eye exams for Kayser-Fleischer rings, and sometimes a liver biopsy.
Treatment Options: Treatment includes chelation therapy with medication to remove copper and zinc supplementation to block intestinal absorption.
Dietary Management is Key: Controlling copper intake through diet, especially for those with Wilson disease, is crucial for long-term management.

The Role of Copper in the Body

Copper is an essential trace element necessary for numerous bodily functions, including iron metabolism, energy production, and the health of nerve cells and connective tissues. It plays a critical role as a cofactor for several enzymes and helps form red blood cells. However, the body is highly regulated to maintain a precise balance of copper, and too much can be harmful. The liver is central to this regulation, excreting excess copper into bile for elimination. When this process is impaired, copper can accumulate to toxic levels.

Causes of Excess Copper

Copper toxicity, also known as hypercupremia, can arise from two main sources: acquired and inherited.

Inherited Causes: Wilson Disease Wilson disease is the most prominent inherited cause of copper accumulation. It is a rare genetic disorder where a mutation in the ATP7B gene prevents the liver from properly excreting excess copper into bile. This causes copper to build up in the liver and, if untreated, to be released into the bloodstream and deposited in other organs, particularly the brain and eyes. This lifelong condition requires continuous management to prevent severe organ damage.

Acquired Causes: Environmental and Dietary Exposure In individuals without a genetic predisposition, excessive copper intake can be acquired through various means, though it is relatively rare in developed countries.

Contaminated Water: Drinking water can become contaminated with copper, especially if acidic water runs through corroded copper or brass pipes. The concentration is typically highest when water has been sitting in pipes for extended periods, and flushing faucets can help mitigate this.
Dietary Supplements: While multivitamin and mineral supplements usually contain safe amounts, some specific copper supplements or high-dose formulas can lead to an overdose.
Cookware: Using uncoated copper cookware, particularly with acidic foods, can cause copper to leach into the food and be ingested.
Occupational Exposure: Workers in industries like mining or smelting can be exposed to high levels of copper dust or fumes.

Symptoms of Too Much Copper

Symptoms of copper toxicity vary depending on whether the exposure is acute (short-term and high-dose) or chronic (long-term accumulation).

Acute Copper Toxicity Symptoms

Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Metallic taste in the mouth
In severe cases, acute liver failure or hemolytic anemia can occur.

Chronic Copper Toxicity Symptoms (especially from Wilson Disease)

Liver Damage: Fatigue, weakness, jaundice (yellowing of skin/eyes), abdominal swelling (ascites), and cirrhosis.
Neurological Problems: Tremors, difficulty speaking or swallowing, poor coordination, and stiff muscles.
Psychiatric Issues: Mood swings, anxiety, depression, or psychosis.
Eye Signs: Characteristic brown or golden rings around the cornea, known as Kayser-Fleischer rings.
Anemia: Rupture of red blood cells, leading to anemia and weakness.
Kidney Dysfunction: Renal tubular acidosis or kidney stones.

Diagnosing and Treating Copper Toxicity

Diagnosis typically involves a combination of tests, especially for suspected Wilson disease.

Blood Tests: Measure copper and ceruloplasmin levels. In Wilson disease, ceruloplasmin is often low.
Urine Tests: A 24-hour urine collection can assess copper excretion, which is often elevated in Wilson disease.
Eye Examination: A slit-lamp eye exam can detect Kayser-Fleischer rings.
Liver Biopsy: Considered the gold standard for diagnosis, it measures hepatic copper concentration.

Treatment depends on the cause and severity but often includes:

Chelation Therapy: Medications like D-penicillamine or trientine bind to copper in the body and help remove it.
Zinc Supplementation: Zinc can be used to block the absorption of copper from the intestines.
Dietary Restrictions: Managing copper intake through diet is crucial, especially for Wilson disease patients.

The Copper-Zinc Balance

Copper and zinc have a well-known antagonistic relationship in the body, primarily due to their interaction at the intestinal level. This dynamic is leveraged therapeutically in the treatment of copper toxicity.


Feature	Copper	Zinc
Bodily Role	Co-factor for many enzymes, crucial for red blood cell formation, iron metabolism, and nerve health.	Involved in immune function, growth, and wound healing; induces a protein called metallothionein.
Absorption Interaction	Its absorption is inhibited by high levels of zinc.	When zinc is supplemented, it increases the production of metallothionein, which preferentially binds to copper, inhibiting its absorption.
Supplementation	Excess copper supplementation is rare but can be toxic, so it is often included in balanced multivitamins.	Can be used therapeutically in Wilson disease to decrease copper absorption. Excessive zinc without adequate copper can lead to copper deficiency.
Dietary Balance	A balanced diet provides adequate copper. In cases of excess, a low-copper diet is necessary.	Important to maintain a proper ratio to copper (typically 8-15 mg zinc for every 1 mg copper).

Dietary Management for Excess Copper

For those with Wilson disease or other forms of copper toxicity, managing dietary intake is a critical part of treatment. This involves a careful balance to avoid deficiency while restricting excess copper from foods. A dietitian can provide personalized guidance, but here is a general guide.

Foods High in Copper (to be limited)

Organ meats (liver, kidneys)
Shellfish (oysters, lobster, crab)
Dark chocolate
Nuts and seeds (cashews, sesame, sunflower seeds)
Legumes (dried beans, lentils)
Mushrooms

Foods Low in Copper (to be emphasized)

Lean poultry (white meat chicken/turkey)
White bread, white rice, white pasta
Low-copper vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce)
Fruits (apples, peaches, oranges, berries)
Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)

Conclusion

While a necessary nutrient, excessive copper in the body can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening health issues, primarily affecting the liver and brain. The most severe form, Wilson disease, is a genetic disorder, but other sources of exposure exist. Recognizing the wide range of symptoms, from gastrointestinal upset to neurological decline, is vital for early diagnosis and intervention. Through a combination of medical therapy and dietary management, individuals with copper toxicity can effectively control their condition and minimize long-term damage. Lifelong management and regular medical oversight are essential for ensuring a positive health outcome. For more detailed information on copper's biological functions and health implications, see this source on copper's physiological role from the National Institutes of Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wilson disease is a rare genetic condition where a faulty gene prevents the liver from properly removing excess copper, causing it to accumulate in the body and damage organs like the liver, brain, and eyes.

Early or acute signs of copper toxicity often include gastrointestinal distress, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. A metallic taste in the mouth may also be present.

While it's possible, it is quite rare to get too much copper from food alone for most people. The body has mechanisms to regulate absorption. Most cases of toxicity are linked to genetic disorders, excessive supplementation, or contaminated water.

Treatment for excess copper often involves chelation therapy, where medications are used to help remove copper from the body. Another approach is to use zinc to inhibit copper absorption in the intestines.

Yes, copper and zinc have an antagonistic relationship. A high intake of one can interfere with the absorption of the other. This is why zinc is sometimes used therapeutically to help manage copper levels.

The National Institutes of Health has set the tolerable upper intake level for copper at 10 mg per day for adults, beyond which toxicity risks increase. Acute kidney failure and even death can occur with as little as 1 gram of copper sulfate.

If you notice a metallic taste, bitter smell, or a green-blue stain in your sinks or bathtubs, your water might have high copper levels. If you have copper plumbing, running your tap for a short period before use can flush out standing water with higher copper content.

Kayser-Fleischer rings are distinctive green, golden, or brownish rings that appear around the corneas of the eyes, caused by copper accumulation. They are a hallmark sign of Wilson disease.