You might have heard that the Roman empire was brought down by the heavy metal lead. They used it to line their water pipes, and it affected them mentally and morally - to the point that a mighty empire was brought to its knees and was conquered.
Or, so the story goes!
But what if I told you metals might also contribute to the downfall of the West?
Not to sound too dramatic or doomsday-ish...
But the more I look around, the more I see the tell-tale signs of a very common, but almost never talked about, metal imbalance.
Namely, the balance (or should I say, imbalance?) between zinc and copper.
- Copper is stimulatory, zinc is calming
- Copper fuels fight or flight, zinc facilitates higher functions of memory, learning, empathy, reasoning.
- Copper raises estrogen, while zinc is necessary for progesterone.
- Copper stimulates glutamate in the brain (excitatory), zinc helps produce GABA (calming)
Both are very much necessary.
But what do you think happens when they're out-of-whack?
Namely, when copper is dominant and zinc is deficient?
Let's see...
Taking into account the above (very incomplete) list, here's what we'd see in a society of copper-dominant and zinc-deficient people:
- Chronically activated fight-or-flight response (ie. anxiety, stressed, irritable, hyper-vigilant, easily triggered by anything perceived as criticism or remotely threatening their comfort zone, argumentative, unable to see another person's point of view).
- Mind constantly over-active, unable to shut off or slow down or sleep restfully, and the body fatigued because of it.
- Estrogen dominance and declining fertility.
- Constantly seeking out stimulation and entertainment and distraction, due to the increased oxidation of dopamine (which ironically, further drives up copper retention and loss of zinc).
- Addicted to junk food which gives temporary bursts of enjoyment.
- Increased breakdown of marriages and separation of families due to decrease in the 'bonding' hormone, oxytocin (requires zinc and magnesium)
- Failure to properly complete pubertal transition into adulthood, resulting in stunted emotional maturity within adult-sized bodies.
Does any of this sound familiar?
By the way, when I speak of copper dominance, I don't necessarily mean they have too much copper (though sometimes they do), but they have too much bio-unavailable copper.
(Copper that cannot be utilized by the body, in other words.)
This creates a scenario of copper toxicity AND a functional copper deficiency.
Here's 3 reasons why we're seeing a rise in copper/zinc imbalance
1) We're born with it.
Copper is elevated during pregnancy. This goes hand-in-hand with the elevated estrogen, and is necessary for the creation of new blood vessels in the placenta and unborn baby.
The new baby is born with more copper in their liver than an adult. This is perfectly normal...but here's where it starts to go awry.
After birth, the balance is supposed to shift back towards zinc, with the induction of zinc-rich colostrum from a well-nourished and well-supported mother.
Except....
Depending on what studies you read, up to 90% of pregnant women are deficient in zinc.
How are they going to product zinc-rich colostrum after giving birth?
Colostrum is supposed to have 4x more zinc than normal breastmilk.
(Supposed to)
So, for many of us, we are born to zinc-deficient mothers and we start out in life with a copper dominance and relative zinc deficiency.
It makes us 'difficult' babies, prone to gas and colic and sleep and skin issues, and mothers who are exhausted and unable to properly bond with their babies (due to zinc being required for optimal oxytocin production), and later on, barely able to remember anything about their child's baby days.
2) Hormonal Birth Control
We survive childhood. Then we enter puberty and bam....estrogen rises (and with it, copper), right when our need for zinc is vastly increased (to support the reproductive development taking place)
This increased zinc/copper imbalance creates hormonal havoc - painful or heavy periods, acne, mood swings, emotional outbursts and other things we write off as being 'normal teen problems'. (No. They're not).
If it's manageable, we might try to grit it out. Or we might visit the family doctor to see what help is available.
The typical scenario is that we'll be offered the birth control pill. This might help suppress the symptoms and give some sweet relief...but...
Behind the scenes, this influx of exogenous estrogen further drives up copper.
When we finally do go off the pill because we're ready to start a family, all hell breaks loose, and we go on a wild rollercoaster ride, and all the symptoms we suppressed come back with a vengeance (unless, by some slim chance, we actually addressed the imbalance in the meantime).
3) Xenoestrogens
But in the meantime, we've been doing all the usual 'SeLf-CaRe' things, experimenting with make-up and skincare and perfumes and hair products and fake nails and....hundreds of chemical ingredients that mimic estrogen in the body.
They're called xenoestrogens.
Like estrogen, they drive up copper further.
Here's a brief list of the most common offenders, and exposure sources:
Bisphenol A (BPA): Plastic containers and bottles, Canned food linings, Thermal paper receipts, Certain dental sealants.
Phthalates: Plastic packaging and containers, Personal care products (shampoos, lotions, perfumes), Vinyl flooring and shower curtains, Medical devices and tubing.
Parabens: Cosmetics (makeup, moisturizers), Personal care products (shampoos, conditioners, deodorants), Pharmaceuticals, Some processed foods as preservatives.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Industrial products and lubricants (banned but persist in the environment), Building materials and electrical equipment (older buildings).
Dioxins: Industrial processes (waste incineration, chemical manufacturing), Contaminated soil and water, Air pollution, By-products of herbicides and pesticides.
And that, my friends, is the simple 3-step recipe for why so many women reach their 30's and 40's with copper dominance and low zinc - it makes for a wild ride through perimenopause.
(Men are not immune to the zinc/copper conundrum, btw, but since I focus on women's wellness, this article is specific to women).
If you want to read more about copper and zinc and their deficiency or excess symptoms I have dozens of them listed in my e-book Signs & Symptoms: How Nutrient Deficiencies Affect Our Appearance, Mood and Behaviours.