our time. Her knowledge of nutritional biochemistry and its clinical application is exceptional, and her authentically inquisitive teaching style is second to none. She’s always just a little ahead of the curve with trends and education concepts: her knowledge is extensive and her recommendations practical and
firmly grounded in experience.
Risk Factors of Having High or Low Estrogen Levels in Males.
The Triage Factor — Copper, Selenium, Zinc and Cancer!!!
Always important to remember that all vitamins work in teams of threes.
Any woman wanting to avoid breast cancer or its recurrence needs to be aware of the real risk factors.
These are not the factors you hear about from the typical oncologist who is interested in pushing drugs. Imbalances in the body are the real risk factors that explain why women get breast cancer, not lack of drugs. The only way to avoid cancer or its recurrence is to address these imbalances. Two minerals, zinc and selenium, are key in maintaining balance in the body and keeping cancer away. Recent research has added to the pile of data underscoring the importance of these minerals in keeping women cancer-free.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have reported that glands in the breast have unique zinc requirements resulting from their need to transfer extraordinary amounts of zinc into milk during lactation. When nursing women’s breasts are deficient in zinc, the result can be severe zinc deficiency in the infant, resulting in impaired growth and development. When zinc is deficient or not properly metabolized, breast cancer is often an additional outcome. Lack of zinc has been implicated
not only in the initiation of breast cancer, but also in the transition, progression, and metastasis of the disease. When zinc is deficient, cellular functioning in the breast is compromised.
In France, scientists report that estrogen receptor expression in breast cancers is associated with differentiated tumors and a more favorable prognosis. The greater the resemblance of cancerous breast cells to non-cancerous breast cells, the less threatening is the disease. Although the exact mechanism underlying the protection ERs play against cancer progression remains to be researched, these scientists studied the actions of ER alpha, and documented that one of the ways this ER inhibits invasion is though its first zinc finger. A zinc finger is a group of proteins organized around a zinc ion that can bind to DNA and influence gene regulation.
In other research, Dr. David Watts reviewed the hair trace mineral reports of thousands of women and found that a pattern of elevated boron, copper and calcium levels with lower levels of zinc occurred in women with breast cancer. According to Dr. Watts, boron and copper appear to make the body more sensitive to the stimulatory effects of estrogen, and less responsive to the quieting effects of progesterone. Zinc is the mineral that aids in the production and utilization of progesterone, so this pattern of mineralization makes women less progesterone responsive and more estrogen sensitive. Raising zinc levels and lowering boron, copper and calcium levels can bring these women into mineral balance and help in the creation of hormonal balance.
The primary gene protecting women from breast cancer, p53, is thought to be the most frequently
mutated or altered gene in the development of cancer.
This gene requires zinc, and if it is missing, the gene becomes mutated, resulting in it becoming inactivated
or suppressed. Dysfunction of p53 is well documented in the development of breast cancer, indicating that a zinc deficiency is a risk factor for breast cancer independent of the levels of boron, copper and calcium.
Zinc is important in prostate gland function and may help prevent and treat prostate cancer.
It has another important role in the lives of women too.
Zinc is required for protein synthesis and collagen formation. Without adequate levels of zinc, skin begins to sag and lose its elasticity. The optimal balance ratio for copper and zinc is 1 to 10 according to nutrition experts Phyllis Balch CNC and James Balch M.D. In addition to sagging skin, deficiency of zinc may result in the loss of the senses of taste and smell. It can cause fingernails to become thin, peel and develop white spots. Other possible signs of zinc deficiency for women include hair loss, high cholesterol levels, impaired night vision, increased susceptibility to infection, memory impairment, diabetes, skin lesions, and slow wound healing.
Food sources for zinc are brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, kelp, lamb, legumes, lima beans, liver, meats, mushrooms, pecans, poultry, pumpkin seeds, sardines, seafood, soy lecithin, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Zinc is found in alfalfa, burdock, cayenne, chamomile, dandelion, eyebright, fennel seeds, milk thistle, nettle, parsley, rose hips, sage, skullcap, and wild yam.
Zinc picolinate, zinc citrate, and zinc as methionine are good choices for supplemental zinc. These are available from many supplement companies. The relationship between selenium status and intake among breast cancer patients was studied by scientists in Kuala Lumpur. 64 women with breast cancer and 127 matched controls were interviewed to obtain information on their habitual dietary intakes, demographic data, and medical history. Selenium status was determined from toenail and hair analysis. The researchers found that total energy and protein intake was significantly higher among controls than among the breast cancer cases. The selenium intake among the women with breast cancer was significantly lower than the controls. Breast cancer risk decreased with the increasing quartiles of selenium intake. Selenium in hair did not differ among breast cancer cases and controls, but selenium status in the nails of controls was significantly higher compared
to the breast cancer cases.
In a recent study done at the University of Washington, scientists investigated the signaling pathways modulated by selenium. They compared global gene expression profiles in mammary tissues from pubescent female rats maintained on a selenium (3ppm) diet with those on a standardized diet. The selenium-enriched diet altered the steady-state levels of genes involved in various cellular functioning, the most dramatic of which was the changes in the expression of multiple genes that regulate circadian rhythm.
The normal mammary tissue of rats fed the standardized diet showed little circadian oscillation relative to liver tissue. However, the mammary tissue of the selenium fed rats showed a progressive, time-dependent increase in the expression of circadian gene Per2, and a circadian regulated transcription factor. Further, the results showed that the expression of Per2 and transcription mitigated RNA was significantly decreased in mammary tumors arising in selenium fed rate, but not in tumors of rats on the control diet.
This suggests that selenium-induced elevation in the expression of circadian genes was incompatible with mammary cancer. The researchers concluded that the Per 2 gene is an important target of selenium for cancer prevention. Selenium’s main role is inhibiting the oxidation of fats as a component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, one of the most powerful of the body’s own antioxidants. When combined with vitamin E, selenium protects the immune system. It plays a vital role in regulating the effects of thyroid hormone on fat metabolism.
In a study, men who consumed 200 mcg of selenium daily over a ten-year period had roughly half the risk of developing lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer compared with men who did not. Symptoms of selenium deficiency are exhaustion, high cholesterol, infections, liver impairment, and pancreatic insufficiency. Westerners often do not have enough selenium, because it is processed out of the foods typically eaten.
This is one of the reasons that American men are five times more likely than Japanese men
to die from prostate cancer.
The typical Asian diet contains four times the amount of selenium as the typical American diet. Selenium is found in meat and grains, but the level depends on the soil content where the food was grown. It can be found in brewer’s yeast, broccoli, brown rice, chicken, dairy products, garlic, kelp, liver, molasses, onions, salmon, seafood, vegetables, wheat germ, and whole grains. Perhaps the best source of selenium is Brazil nuts.
Eating two of the nuts a day provides 240 mcg of selenium. Earl Mindell, in his Vitamin Bible,
recommends 200 mcg of selenium intake daily.
Immune Health
Zinc is well known for its immune-modulating effects, but copper plays a role, too, especially the copper to zinc ratio. A balanced copper to zinc ratio, which is between 0.7 to 1.0, based on the studies discussed here, plays a role in maintaining the immune system, helping resist infectious diseases, and it has the potential to be used as an indicator of oxidative stress.
Studies have found that during stages of chronic inflammation and poor health, there is a lower level of zinc and a higher level of copper, leading to an imbalance in the ratio. Both copper and zinc create the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme that counteracts oxidative stress. In a study reviewing serum levels of copper, zinc, SOD, and other markers in 15 IBD patients and 30 controls, zinc levels were significantly lower (23 percent lower), as was SOD activity (7.3 percent), in IBD patients. The reduction in SOD activity relates to a lower ability to scavenge free radicals, which can lead to excessive oxidative stress. The copper levels were significantly elevated in women (17.6 percent) but not all patients (5.9 percent higher but not significant).
In the IBD patients, the copper to zinc ratio was 0.73 in men and 0.87 in women, compared to 0.64 and 0.51
in the respective controls.
Why you should know your Copper to Zinc Ratio
In a prospective and experimental study, researchers took samples of serum copper and zinc levels in 100 patients with multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and determined their copper to zinc ratio. At the onset of treatment, the participants had a very high copper to zinc ratio, which experienced a significant drop when treated at the three and six-month marker after being treated with second-line TB drugs. Copper levels remained normal, while the zinc levels continued to be lower than that of the controls. The lower levels of zinc due to the disease led to a higher copper to zinc ratio, which in turn contributed to the immune system dysfunction and an increase of oxidative stress in patients. The researchers postulate that zinc supplementation might increase the efficacy of TB treatment through restoring the copper to zinc ratio and improving the body’s antioxidant capacity.
Other Health Effects
There are many other ways in which this ratio affects health. Your copper to zinc ratio might also affect your sleep patterns. Higher levels of copper than between 1.10 mg/l and 1.12 mg/l correlate with a reduction in sleep duration, which in turn contributes to oxidative stress and inflammation. In one study, researchers looked at the link between inflammation (hs-CRP), serum zinc levels, and serum copper levels with sleep duration in older men. Those who slept 6 hours or less a night had the lowest levels of zinc at 0.91 mg/l, while the participants with the highest levels of zinc slept 9.5 hours a night with a serum zinc level of 0.96 mg/l.
The group that slept under six hours at night had an elevated hs-CRP at 3.23 mg/l, compared to 1.92 – 2.85 mg/l for those sleeping between 6.5 and 9.5 hours at night. Sleeping over 10 hours at night raised the hs-CRP to 3.77 mg/l. The serum copper levels were highest in those sleeping less than six hours at 1.13 mg/l, those sleeping 9 hours at 1.14 mg/l, and those sleeping more than 10 hours at 1.17 mg/l, compared to between 1.10 and 1.12 mg/l for the other sleep duration groups. After accounting for certain confounders, only the copper
and hs-CRP levels remained significant.
In another study on elderly patients, a higher copper to zinc ratio, and a lower zinc level and antioxidant capacity, correlated with a higher risk of physical disability. The patient group had a 47.5 percent lower level of serum zinc compared to the control, and they had a 10.8 percent higher copper level and a 112.5 percent higher copper to zinc ratio compared to the control. The researchers concluded that the copper to zinc ratio is a reliable parameter for determining the physically disabled patients compared to the controls.
One study found that in patients with heart failure, copper levels were higher. Both acute heart failure patients and chronic heart failure patients had significantly higher blood copper levels than controls, although the levels did not differ significantly between the two. Conversely, the serum zinc levels were significantly lower in both sets of heart failure patients compared to the control. This was independent of other risks for heart disease.
The ratio also plays a role in metabolic health. In patients with type-1 diabetes, which is known to contribute to oxidative stress, the level of serum zinc was significantly lower and the level of serum copper was significantly higher in patients with diabetes, especially those with poor glycemic control. This led to a higher copper to zinc ratio, as well as higher levels of SOD.
The researchers in this study also found a correlation between the HbA1C levels and the copper to zinc ratio, with a higher ratio correlating with a higher HbA1C.
The Pathology Around Magnesium, Copper, Selenium, Zinc and Micronutrients
Zinc and copper work hand in hand in many of their beneficial tasks, which is why it is important to not only concern yourself with just the amount of zinc or copper you consume. You also want to ensure you retain a good copper to zinc ratio to avoid the potential health risks discussed. If you are concerned, you can ask your doctor to perform a blood test to assess your serum copper and serum zinc levels. One way to do this is to ensure you consume adequate amounts of both minerals, primarily through diet. If you supplement with one, then you want to ensure you supplement with the other, unless you already have an imbalanced ratio.
Getting Your Recommended Zinc and Copper
Foods Sources
As with most nutrients, the best place to start to get your zinc and copper is through food sources.
The best food sources of zinc, from highest to lowest, include:
– Oysters
– Organic, grass-fed beef
– Sesame seeds
– Pumpkin seeds
– Adzuki beans
– Wild rice
– Peanuts
– Pine nuts
– Cashew nuts
– Navy beans
– White beans
– Sunflower seeds
– Black beans
– Teff
– Split peas
– Lentils
The best food sources of copper, also from highest to lowest, include:
– Liver
– Sesame seeds
– Oysters
– Cocoa powder
– Soybeans
– Cashew nuts
– Lentils
– Sunflower seeds
– Brazil nuts
– Adzuki beans
– Kidney beans
– White beans
– Hazelnuts
– Mung beans
– Buckwheat
– Pine nuts
As you can see from the list, many foods have both zinc and copper, making it easy to maintain your ratio.
Some of the foods with the best copper to zinc ratio include oysters, sesame seeds, cashew nuts, and sunflower seeds. Foods in the nuts, seeds, and legume families often are rich sources of both zinc and copper, and they also have many other benefits. For example, Brazil nuts, known for their high selenium content, also are rich in other minerals, including zinc and copper. The average concentration of zinc in 100 grams of Brazil nuts is 4.7 mg, and the same serving has an average 2.0 mg of copper. Granted, an average serving is more often closer to one ounce or 6 nuts, which has 1.15 mg of zinc and 0.494 mg of copper. In addition to these nutrients, you also get healthy fat, protein, fiber, phytonutrients, selenium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.
These work synergistically to further promote optimal health.
Although several common foods contain copper, those following the typical “SAD” diet might still risk deficiency. The number of people presenting with copper deficiency is increasing, which might be due to a reduction in copper intake. It might also be from an increase in zinc consumption, which causes an imbalance in the ratio that might present as copper deficiency.
What You Need to Know About Supplementing
Zinc has a reputation for being healthy, including supporting the immune system and acting as an antioxidant. This has led to many people supplementing with high doses of zinc. Zinc is also found in many cough drops and other cold remedies. Because of the potential toxicity of copper, many people stay away from supplemental doses of it. Where does this leave you? With a risk of an out of balance zinc to copper ratio, which as discussed above can cause problems. So, what do you do?
For one, do not supplement with high levels of just one of these minerals, such as zinc, without knowing your serum levels and/or ratio, which can be done with various lab tests. The most common is a blood draw for serum zinc and copper levels, which most doctors can perform. You might have to calculate your own copper to zinc ratio using the results for your serum zinc and copper levels. You need to make sure that both are in the same units, which is generally ug/dL. You might receive results with the units as umol/L, which requires you to divide the zinc by 0.153 and the copper levels by 0.157. If you have units such as L or mg, then you will have to perform metric conversions, which is usually multiply or dividing by a factor of 10. For example, to get from g/L to ug/dL, you would multiply by 100,000. You can also use an online conversion tool. Once they are in the same units, you simply divide the copper level by the zinc level. Some specialty labs will perform this for you.
In those with high copper levels, supplementing with just zinc might be fine.
In one study, supplementing with 10 mg of zinc gluconate helped to improve the copper to zinc ratio,
which in turn helped to normalize oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers in hemodialysis patients.
It seems self-evident that if your zinc/copper ratio is off balance, supplementing with one will help. However, work with a healthcare practitioner so you will not end up altering the balance the other way.
Often, using a supplement with both zinc and copper ensures you retain a good ratio.
High levels of either mineral also come with other risks. Taking excessive amounts of zinc in supplemental
form can lead to side effects, including vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Using nasal sprays might also disrupt your sense of smell. The tolerable upper intake level (TUL) for zinc is 40 mg for adult women and men. Excessive copper intake through supplementation also comes with its risks, including altering the copper to zinc ratio and toxicity. The TUL for copper is 10,000 ug/day for adults. You will want to check for the TUL for other age groups, as well as pregnant and lactating women.
In some cases, you might need high doses, such as in cases of malabsorption. However, you do not want to undertake this alone. As always, discuss supplementing with your doctor or other healthcare professional.
They will work with you to determine a level of zinc and/or copper supplementation that ensures you have adequate amounts of both to retain the right ratio based on your situation and health concerns.
It is important you consider all of your sources of both zinc and copper beyond food and supplements when determining if you are at risk of an imbalance. For example, a patient using excessive amounts of denture adhesive that contained zinc presented with severe copper deficiency symptoms. Additionally, copper might leech from any pots and pans, and you might also find it in your drinking water.
If you have well water and are concerned about your drinking water, you can contact your state certification officer to perform a test for free. Those not on a well, you can purchase testing kits from a variety of places that are simple to use and do not cost a lot of money. The copper and zinc relationship is just another example of the delicate balance that the essential minerals—and micronutrients in general—play with one another for our maximal health. Recognizing the ways in which nutrients interact with others will help you formulate a better plan to maintain your optimal health through your diet and supplements.