Hair Copper (Cu) levels are usually indicative of body status, except that exogenous contamination may occur giving a false normal (or false high). Common sources of contamination include: permanent solutions, dyes, bleaches, and swimming pools/hot tubs in which Cu compounds have been used as algaecides.
Cu is an essential element that activates specific enzymes. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a Cu (and zinc) dependent enzyme; lysyl oxidase which catalyzes crosslinking of collagen is another Cu dependent enzyme. Adrenal catecholamine synthesis is Cu dependent, because the enzyme dopamine beta-hydroxylase, which catalyzes formation of norepinephrine from dopamine, requires Cu.
If hair Cu is in the normal range, this usually means tissue levels are in the normal range. However, under circumstances of contamination, a real Cu deficit could appear as a (false) normal. If symptoms of Cu deficiency are present, a whole blood or red blood cell elements analysis can be performed for confirmation of Cu status.
Hair Copper (Cu) levels are usually indicative of body status with two exceptions: (1) addition of exogenous Cu (occasionally found in hair preparations or algaecides in swimming pools/hot tubs), and (2) low hair Cu in Wilson’s or Menkes’ diseases. In Wilson’s disease, Cu transport is defective and Cu accumulates, sometimes to toxic levels, in intestinal mucosa, liver and kidneys. At the same time, it is low in hair and deficient in other peripheral tissues. In Menkes’ disease, the activity of Cu dependent enzymes is very low. Cu supplementation is contraindicated in these diseases. Cu is an essential element that is required for the activity of certain enzymes. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a Cu (and zinc) dependent enzyme; lysyl oxidase which catalyzes crosslinking of collagen is another Cu dependent enzyme. Adrenal catecholamine synthesis is Cu dependent, because the enzyme dopamine beta-hydroxylase, which catalyzes formation of norepinephrine from dopamine, requires Cu. Symptoms of Cu deficiency include: elevated cholesterol, increased inflammatory responses, anemia, bone and collagen disorders, reproductive failure, and impaired immunity. Possible reasons for a Cu deficiency include: intestinal malabsorption, insufficient dietary intake,molybdenum excess,zinc excess, and chelation therapy. Cu status is adversely affected by excess of antagonistic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and manganese. Confirmatory tests for Cu deficiency are serum ceruloplasmin to rule out Wilson’s disease (ceruloplasmin is deficient in Wilson’s disease), a whole blood or packed red blood cell elements analysis, and a functional test for Cu (barring zinc deficiency) is measurement of erythrocytes SOD activity. Erythrocyte SOD activity is subnormal with Cu deficiency.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
Hair Copper (Cu) levels are usually indicative of body status, except that exogenous contamination may occur giving a false normal (or false high). Common sources of contamination include: permanent solutions, dyes, bleaches, and swimming pools/hot tubs in which Copper compounds have been used as algaecides.
Copper is an essential element that activates specific enzymes. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a Copper (and zinc) dependent enzyme; lysyl oxidase which catalyzes crosslinking of collagen is another Copper dependent enzyme. Adrenal catecholamine synthesis is Copper dependent, because the enzyme dopamine beta-hydroxylase, which catalyzes formation of norepinephrine from dopamine, requires Copper.
If hair Copper is in the normal range, this usually means tissue levels are in the normal range. However, under circumstances of contamination, a real Copper deficit could appear as a (false) normal. If symptoms of Copper deficiency are present, a whole blood or red blood cell elements analysis can be performed for confirmation of Copper status.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedMonthly plan
Annual plan
Own it for life
Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
$15 /month
billed every month
Most popular
Data entry included
$79 /year
$6.60/month billed annually
Data entry included
$250 /once
own it for life
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Monthly Plus
for health professionals
$75 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Bismuth, Boron, Cadmium, Calcium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Germanium, Iodine, Iron, Lead, Lithium, Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Molybdenum, Nickel, Phosphorus, Platinum, Potassium, Rubidium, Selenium, Silver, Sodium, Strontium, Sulfur, Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Titanium, Uranium, Vanadium, Zinc, Zirconium