If you've been on Instagram lately, you may have seen the unfolding 'Liver-gate' controversy, where a number of people have begun to question whether consuming beef liver has contributed to unwanted symptoms
Now. Before we jump into this topic, I want to be totally transparent about my own involvement in both consuming and promoting beef liver.
Between late-2020 and mid-2023, I promoted beef liver, and was an affiliate for dessicated beef liver capsules, and mixed organ capsules.
During this time-period, I received an estimated $700 - $1000 Australian dollars in affiliate earnings (this is a guesstimate on my part, I haven't been back through my accounts to verify this).
I personally began to lose interest in taking beef liver supplements circa 2022, There was no concern in my mind, at the time, I just didn't feel 'drawn' to them. However, I still felt they had value for others.
Yet I did begin to have some concerns during 2023, when I first began to receive a trickle of messages from people who reported negative experience taking beef liver.
The messages all followed a similar pattern:
They felt amazing when they first began taking take beef liver, so continued for months and years. Over time, they began to experience symptoms, and eventually came to suspect the beef liver.
Once they stopped taking beef liver, they began to feel better.
My suspicion at that time was Vitamin A overload.
In light of this, I felt it wise to stop recommending beef liver to my clients, but occasionally still recommended mixed organ meats for short periods of time, or intermittently (ie. not every day for extended periods of time). I felt this would 'offer the best of both worlds' - nutrient density, but low risk of Vitamin A overload.
I now suspect that copper dominance (creating zinc deficiency) could also be a factor in these stories of people having a negative experience from extended use of beef liver.
It's no secret that 'animal-based' health foods are having their ‘moment’ in the sun.
Wellness trends do seem to come and go - a few years ago, it was all green powders and alternative grains and seeds (chia seeds, quinoa, etc), now it's bone broth, collagen, and organ meats.
I recently went into a health-food shop to buy wheat-germ. There was none to be found...but there was an entire aisle dedicated to bone broth powders and collagen supplements and dessicated organ meats.
How times have changed!
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but as humans we seem to have a tendency to jump whole-heartedly from one trend to another, swinging from one extreme to the next and rarely finding a balance in between.
I am concerned that this may be what we are seeing with the popularity and promotion of beef liver.
Some of the stories shared on social media include enamel hypoplasia of children born during a liver-eating phase of the mother, unwanted weight gain and thyroid issues that started while consuming regular beef liver, atopic skin conditions and allergies, hair loss and mental health issues.
These stories were shared by @bethany.link and @lifelabwellnessco (There may be others too, that I am unaware of).
As someone who has both taken beef liver, and promoted it to others, I think investigating further is the responsible thing to do, while being transparent about what I find.
So, first, let’s take a quick look at copper, what it does, and what situations might contribute to copper dominance. (I prefer to use the term copper dominance, much like estrogen dominance. It doesn’t always denote excess copper – though sometimes it may – but there is an excess in relation to zinc, and other nutrients).
Copper is an essential metal that helps to regulate numerous physiological processes, including iron metabolism, energy production, nervous system function, connective tissue function, and more.
Another important role of copper is to stimulate the formation of new blood vessels – and this is likely why copper is elevated during pregnancy and obesity, since both states require the formation of new blood vessels and vascular pathways.
Another state that also requires the growth of new blood vessels is cancer, and copper chelators have been used to halt the growth of tumours, through this very mechanism.
There is a relationship between copper and estrogen. High estrogen states, like pregnancy, favour the retention of copper (this is possibly for the reason stated above – copper being required for formation of new blood vessels), and in return, high copper levels favour the retention of estrogen. (This sounds like it has the potential to become a vicious cycle, tbh)
In light of this information, it seems feasible that copper may play some role in endometriosis (being an estrogen-dependent state that also involves formation of blood vessels)
So, what we have established so far is that the following situations have increased potential for copper accumulation or copper dominance:
- Pregnancy
- Puberty
- Obesity or overweight
- Perimenopause (estrogen fluctuating, and progesterone decreasing)
- Contraceptive pill
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Estrogen dominance
(Not gonna lie...I look at that list and, dang, that list covers a LOT of women!)
Beef liver is the highest known food source of copper, however, the overall diet and copper intake from other foods is also relevant and should be taken into account.
But please do not think this is a demonization of copper.
We need copper. But is it possible that certain ways of eating could be over-doing copper?
I must confess that my own unwanted and excessive weight gain occurred during the time I was consuming beef liver and a 'pro-metabolic' (high copper, high-retinol diet). However, I was also eating high-fat, and living in a very damp, moldy house that also seemed to be negatively affecting me. So, I certainly can't point the finger solely at beef liver.
But could it have contributed in some way?
I set out to find out the answer, and what I discovered was surprising. In late 2022, a study from China was published that revealed some interesting findings.
They looked at data from over 13,000 people, and found that both high and low copper intake was associated with obesity in general, and abdominal obesity in particular (the dreaded belly fat).
The copper intake range associated with a healthy weight was 1.87mg - 2.10mg per day. Outside of those ranges, on either side, was associated with increasing obesity.
Now, there's a few interesting things to note here:
The lower end of that spectrum is twice the recommended daily intake (which is 900 micrograms per day, for both adult males and females)
The average daily intake for adults however, is already above the recommended intake, at ~1.5mg per day.
If someone eating an average diet adds in 100grams of beef liver per week (some influencers recommend double this amount, btw), they are consuming well above the upper end of that range.
But what about people who are eating an 'ancestral' or 'prometabolic' diet, in addition to taking beef liver?
How much copper would they be ingesting on a daily basis?
The following foods are typically consumed on a pro-metabolic diet. Let's add up how much copper is being ingested.
100g beef liver per week (or equivalent in dessicated liver capsules) = 9.7mg of copper weekly, OR 1.33mg per day.
One medium-sized potato = 610mcg (0.61mg)
1/2 cup mushrooms = 650mcg (0.65mg)
1 tbsp cocoa = 200mcg (0.2mg)
1 cup orange juice = 85mcg (0.085mg)
1/2 avocado = 200mcg (0.2mg)
1 tbsp gelatin = 150mcg (0.15mg)
100g sardines = 272mcg (0.27mg)
Now, these are very modest amounts, and do not even include a full daily intake worth of fruits and meats.
Yet, the above foods equal 3.4mg - well above the 2.10mg/day associated with obesity and abdominal fat gain, found by Chinese researchers.
These calculations also do not factor in copper exposure from drinking water. One study conducted in Sweden found median copper levels in household drinking water to be more than 700mcg per litre. So, somebody drinking two litres per day is already getting well above the recommended intake for copper, from water alone.
(I realize that most people reading this are probably not drinking unfiltered tap water, but just to give you some reference of copper intake in the wider community)
So, according to this data and calculations, beef liver *may* have contributed to excess weight (in conjunction with an otherwise high-copper diet).
Another study published just last year looked at copper intake and risk of PCOS, in conjunction with gut microbiota, inflammation levels and hormones.
They found that 1.9mg per day was the cut-off point, after which the risk of PCOS rose by more than 80%. (Again, those eating a typical pro-metabolic diet, and especially those also eating beef liver, are well above this intake on a daily basis).
But that’s not all. The researchers concluded that: “long-term exposure to high dietary copper levels can affect the composition of the gut microbiota, cause inflammation and oxidative stress, and then interfere with hormone signaling, ultimately affecting ovarian follicle development.”
Another recent study (this one included over 17,000 individuals) sought to look at copper intake and all-cause mortality. After adjusting for factors such as BMI, smoking status, blood pressure, etc, they found that a copper intake above 2.09mg per day, was associated with a 49% increased risk of all-cause mortality, over the course of 9 years.
(Again, a typical pro-metabolic diet or regular consumption of beef liver, is likely to be well above this intake level).
What about fertility?
Can too much copper affect fertility?
If we consider the way that copper IUD’s work by changing the behaviour of sperm and egg, I think it’s probable that excess or dysregulated copper would have an effect on fertility.
However, to be fair, these are copper devices inside the uterus. Does an excessive copper intake via diet have the same effect?
A few years ago, Japanese researchers realized that the copper intake of Japanese women was slightly above the recommended amount, while zinc intake was significantly lower. They hypothesized that this copper/zinc imbalance might be affecting fertility rates. They published their findings in a study titled ‘Is a high serum copper concentration a risk factor for implantation failure”.
To test their hypothesis, they studied 269 women undergoing IVF treatment. After a single cycle, 96 women were pregnant, and 173 women were not pregnant. When they compared serum levels of copper and zinc, between the two groups, they found copper levels were significantly higher, and zinc levels significantly lower, in the group that did not establish a pregnancy.
What’s interesting is that copper intake of Japanese women is only slightly higher than the recommended intake, at 0.96mg per day, while Westerners typically eat around 1.5mg per day.
Another study looked at copper and zinc status in women with unexplained fertility, and found that their copper levels were elevated, and zinc levels decreased when compared with healthy controls.
Copper is considered toxic to sperm, which require a high-zinc environment. Researchers have found that men with abnormal sperm have higher serum copper levels and there is a negative correlation between serum copper levels and sperm count, sperm motility, sperm vitality, and normal morphology. What this means is the higher the serum copper level, the more common these abnormalities are.
In several of the studies mentioned above, researchers emphasized the copper/zinc ratio being more important than the levels of either element alone.
Because copper is highly conductive and plays a stimulatory role in the central nervous system, many symptoms of copper imbalance are neurological. (Imagine copper wiring in a home that conducts electrical signals).
Copper facilitates the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline), which is necessary for the fight or flight nervous system. During times of stress, the body will retain copper and excrete zinc. Nobody needs zinc to calm them down when being chased by a bear! The body is always just doing what it does with survival in mind.
Therefore, chronic stress is yet another factor that potentially leads to copper dominance and zinc deficiency.
Many of the copper-dominant symptoms identified by practitioners and people dealing with copper toxicity are consistent with over-stimulation of the nervous system and HPA axis (adrenals). These include:
Agitation
Panic attacks
Anxiety
Insomnia
Hypoglycemia
Headaches/migraines
Racing thoughts
Palpitations
ADHD
Inability to focus
OCD behaviours
Aggression
Schizophrenia
This stimulation of the nervous system and adrenals is potentially why some people experience a ‘buzz’ from eating beef liver (though the B vitamins contained in it probably also help to increase energy levels). But could this ‘buzz’ eventually come at the cost of adrenal and nervous system health? (Something to ponder, I think...)
One practitioner (who I can’t recall now, I’ve read so many articles on copper!) said that copper dominance looks like a ‘tired body, but an overly busy mind’.
There are several neurodegenerative diseases linked to copper dysfunction, including Alzheimers, Parkinson’s disease, and more, but whether this is a result of copper intake is unclear.
It seems more probable that it’s an actual dysregulation of the copper already in the system, but hopefully that picture will become clearer in the next few years, as they continue to study these diseases.
Now, this is a BIG subject, and one email is not enough to cover all the ins and outs, but I wanted to do a quick summary of all the factors (above and beyond food intake) that could potentially contribute to copper dysregulation or dominance.
Copper is excreted in bile, so those on a very low-fat diet, or are chronically constipated, or otherwise have issues producing bile could potentially be prone to copper accumulation.
Some seem to think that the use of glyphosate chelates copper. However, it also chelates the nutrients (molybdenum) that help to regulate copper, so if this is a factor, it’s affecting more than just copper.
High stress causes the accumulation of copper and excretion of zinc.
Copper water pipes and well water can substantially contribute to copper intake
Copper IUD’s increase copper content in the reproductive organs, and according to many women, may result in signs of copper dominance. (I even joined a copper IUD support group so I could read their stories and gather information for this email. Believe me, some of them have been through nightmare symptoms. Many speak of unrelenting bone-crushing fatigue. A vast majority say their sex drive disappeared and was replaced by ‘numbness’ in the sexual organs.)
Obesity is related to high estrogen and copper accumulation. Copper may also be stored in the fat cells
Women on hormonal birth control or hormone replacement therapy will have higher copper levels
Pregnancy is a high estrogen, high copper state. Babies tend to be born with an excess of copper, relative to zinc, but this is supposed to come back into balance via the zinc-rich breast-milk of the mother. At two weeks post-partum, breast-milk typically contains about 4mg of zinc per liter, and only 0.2mg of copper per liter. The problem is that many women enter post-partum in a zinc-depleted state, and their milk is also depleted. The World Health Organisation estimates that around 80% of pregnant women world-wide are zinc-deficient. (The actual number may be even higher due to difficulties in assessing borderline zinc status).
Copper dominance may be inherited from the womb, due to zinc deficiency of the mother (see point above).
Perimenopause is a time when many women experience a relative estrogen dominance (at least in the earlier stages of perimenopause). This could potentially make them more vulnerable to copper accumulation.
The adrenals signal to the liver to produce ceruloplasmin – the protein that binds copper in the liver and distributes it through the body. If adrenals or liver are under-functioning, it could potentially lead to copper accumulation in the liver
I’m sure there are probably more factors, but these are what comes to mind at this time.
As I said, we are not here to demonize copper, but to take a genuine and impartial look at what the evidence says.
In light of all I have just shared, I’ve come to think copper dominance is probably more likely than copper deficiency, among those eating a variety of whole-foods and not supplementing zinc, but especially those following a pro-metabolic or RCP (Root Cause Protocol by Morley Robbins) approach.
I had previously thought that copper issues simply required more retinol, to make ceruloplasmin to ‘regulate’ copper. Unfortunately, I overlooked a rather large piece of the puzzle, which seems glaringly obvious to me now in hindsight. In order for Vitamin A (retinol) itself to be usable, requires zinc. So higher intake of retinol requires more zinc....but zinc has already been lowered and displaced by the excess copper. What a conundrum!
Next up, I’ll be looking at beef liver and concerns about excess retinol. Until then, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. If you’d like to receive it to your inbox, you can subscribe to my email list here.