Copper recommended daily intake and safe upper limits
POPULATION AMOUNT (mcg)
Infants (0–6 months) 200
Children (6 months–14 years old) 220–890, depending on age
Adolescents (14–18 years old) 890
Adults 900
Pregnant women 1,000
Breastfeeding women 1,300
Upper limit: Currently set at 10 mg/day, but data from carefully performed animal studies suggests an upper limit of
closer to 50 mg/day is more reasonable.
Zinc recommended daily intake
POPULATION AMOUNT (mg/day)
Infants (0–6 months) 2
Children (7–12 months) 3
Children (1–3 years) 5
Children (4–8 years) 5
Children (9–13 years) 8
Adolescents (14–18 years) 8 (girls); 11 (boys)
Adult men 11
Adult women 8POPULATION AMOUNT (mg/day)
Pregnant women 12
Breastfeeding women 13
Safe upper limit: 40 mg/day
Top Dietary Sources of Copper
FOOD AMOUNT (mg per 200kcal)
Clam 39
Beef/Lamb/Goose Liver 14–17
Oysters 13
Fresh Basil 3
King Crab 2
Sesame Butter 1
Ham 1
Cashews 1
Octopus 1
Chestnuts 1
Chicken Liver 1
Whitefish 1
Top Dietary Sources of Zinc
POPULATION AMOUNT (mg per 200kcal)
Oysters 265
Veal Liver 17
King Crab 16
Lobster 10
Beef, Chuck 10
Lamb, Shank 10
Endive 9
Beef, Brisket 9
Mushrooms, Crimini 8
Broccoli Rabe 7
Bison, Ground 6
Who should supplement?
Vegetarians, vegans, and those who can’t eat copper- or zinc-rich foods
People with significant copper or zinc deficiency
People with GI absorption issues
Copper Supplementation
POPULATION AMOUNT (mg)
Low background intake 6–8 mg/d
Moderate background intake 2–4 mg/d
Maintenance dose 1–2 mg/d
Zinc Supplementation
POPULATION AMOUNT (mg)
Low background intake1 Up to 30 mg/d
Moderate background intake2 Up to 15 mg/d
Maintenance dose3 10–15 mg/d
Best supplement form is zinc glycinate – good absorption and minimal GI side effects.
