Why I DO NOT Recommend Multivitamins—The Case of Copper

I generally do not recommend the vast majority of available multivitamin formulations.

Multivitamin supplementation is extremely common. Probably somewhere around one in three U.S. adults takes some form of multivitamin on a regular basis, hoping to improve their health. That hope is often directed toward reducing the risk of disease—namely chronic illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and so on—or simply improving day-to-day functioning (i.e., “feeling better”).

The problem is: I do not recommend multivitamin supplementation for the vast majority of people—for the vast majority of multivitamin formulations on the market.

There are multiple reasons for this (some of which I’ll explore in future articles), but here I want to focus in on one specific reason why I believe multivitamins can actually do harm.

Multivitamins Usually Use Harmful or Ineffective Nutrient Forms

The formulations of most multivitamin products do not take into account rigorous, evidence-informed insights about:

1. Which forms of nutrients are actually most beneficial to the human body, and

2. Which forms are least likely to cause harm.

This is not just the simplistic notion of “methylated vs. non-methylated” forms or “activated vs non-activated” forms that you hear many people in the media talking about.

That is way too simplistic.

It’s a much broader problem—but that’s a story for another day.

Now I want to focus in one egregious example to illustrate this: copper.

Copper: An Essential Mineral That Can Also Be Incredibly Harmful

Copper is one of the most essential minerals in the human body, playing roles in:

• Regulating iron status

• Supporting neurotransmitter production in the brain

• Fueling energy production in the mitochondria (the energy factories of the cells)

• And much more

And copper deficiency is more widespread than many people realize, and it can quietly disrupt multiple systems in the body. Some of the most common and general symptoms include:

• Fatigue and low energy

• Brain fog and poor concentration

• Mood imbalances (e.g., depression, anxiety)

• Cold sensitivity

• Pale skin or low skin pigmentation

• Weakened immune function (frequent illness)

• Hair thinning or premature graying

These symptoms are often misattributed to stress, aging, or other nutrient deficiencies, so copper deficiency may go undiagnosed for years without proper testing.

But: the form in which copper is consumed makes a huge difference.

Copper Used to Come Only from Real Food

Before the modern era, people got all of their copper from food. This meant eating things like:

• Liver

• Dark chocolate

• Nuts and seeds

And they generally consumed sufficient amounts of these foods to meet their physiological needs.

Because of that, symptoms related to copper deficiency—like brain fog, fatigue, and mood issues (when connected to copper)—were far less common than they are today.

Enter the Processed Food Era

But in the modern age, consumption of these whole foods has drastically declined. The goal shifted toward feeding large populations as cheaply as possible.

So real whole wheat became processed “white flour”, which then evolved into what is now sold as “whole wheat”—a highly processed version of the original grain, with a few of the lost parts added back in.

This is a feeble attempt to undo the damage of food processing. Why? Because the reintroduced parts do not include everything that was stripped away. Worse, the forms that are added back are often not ideally compatible with the human body.

Take the now well-recognized (even among the public) example of folate:

• Real folate (from the germ of the wheat) is lost when the grain is processed.

• Food manufacturers don’t put real folate back in—they add folic acid, which, as many of you know, is not the ideal form for the body.

This leads to a cascade of downstream issues—and copper is no exception.

Multivitamins: A Totally Flawed “Fix” for a Depleted Diet

In response to this widespread nutrient loss, multivitamins were introduced as a supposed solution—a way to “cover your bases.”

“Take this one capsule a day and fix everything missing from your diet.”

But that’s a band-aid solution, and in my opinion, a deeply flawed one.

You simply cannot “bandage” a diet of unwholesome, processed food by tossing a few capsules into the mix.

The Body Treats Food Nutrients Very Differently Than Synthetic Ones

Even “high-end” multivitamins usually include synthetic versions of vitamins and minerals that are vastly inferior to their food-based counterparts.

Let’s return to the case of copper:

Yes, copper is essential. And yes, people today consume far less copper from food than they used to. So many multivitamins try to solve this by adding copper into their formulations.

But here’s the issue:

Not all copper is created equal.

The Dangerous Difference Between Food Copper and Supplement Copper

Copper from food (like chocolate, liver, and seeds) is:

• Tightly bound to proteins

• Carefully packaged

• Delivered neatly to your tissues in a way that’s compatible with your body’s physiology

But supplemental copper is very different.

Copper is a metallic element, and it's highly oxidative—meaning it reacts easily with other compounds, producing free radicals.

Inside the body, if copper is not properly packaged, it can:

• React with surrounding tissues

• Generate oxidative stress

• Damage cells and DNA

• Drive diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration

In other words:

Free Copper in Supplements May Contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease

Free (unbound) copper circulating in the blood can damage the brain and potentially contribute to memory loss, cognitive decline, and conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies have even linked non-food copper intake with higher rates of Alzheimer’s in the modern era. Personally, I find this connection very plausible.

Food copper, as mentioned, avoids this issue. It is delivered safely. But most multivitamin copper is not.

Even “Premium” Supplements Use Problematic Copper Forms

Even expensive supplement brands—including those trendy greens powders that cost over $100 per bag—often contain copper in highly oxidative forms like copper gluconate.

That doesn't mean these formulas are entirely bad. You probably will even feel better using them because they correct other deficiencies and may even be helping with a bona fide copper deficiency…

…but they do so in a way that may create other problems over time.

The Solution (or part of it, at least)

Step 1: Check the Label

Look for copper in your supplements. If it says:

• Copper gluconate

• Copper sulfate

• Copper oxide

Then you’re likely dealing with a pro-oxidative form. Frankly, even chelated forms like copper bisglycinate are non-ideal.

Step 2: Test Before You Supplement

Before taking copper in any form, assess your actual need. Some useful tests:

• Blood copper levels

• Ceruloplasmin (a key copper-carrying protein)

• RBC copper

• Hair mineral analysis

Many people will need a combo of these to get an accurate picture. Interpreting those tests, on the other hand, is a different story.

Step 3: Supplement Safely (If Needed)

If you do need copper, choose a biologically safer form.

One of the only copper supplements I can currently, conscientiously recommend is:
Global Healing’s option, which comes in a reduced, nicotinic-acid conjugated form (disclaimer, I have absolutely NO financial interest in this company, at all—or in any supplement companies, for that matter). This is the supplement I use for one of my low-copper family members.

It’s not cheap, but it's far safer than conventional options, to the best of our current knowledge.

Better Yet: Get Copper from Real Food

Avoid supplementation entirely if you can. Instead, get copper from whole food sources like:

Top Copper-Rich Foods:

• Liver (beef or chicken)

• Dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa)

• Cashews

• Sunflower seeds

• Shiitake mushrooms

How Much Do You Need?

Most people need about 1-2 mg of copper daily (or less, or more, depending on their personal situation—genetics etc.). That’s achievable with:

• 0.5 oz beef liver = ~2 mg

• 1 oz 70–85% dark chocolate = ~0.9 mg

• 1/2 cup cashews = ~1.2 mg

• 4 tbsp sunflower seeds = ~1 mg

Coming Soon: DIY Copper Supplement RECIPE

If you can't get enough copper from food, and you can't afford the safer supplements, or your copper status just isn’t improving, then yes, it may be possible to make your own copper supplement at home.

But: This must be done very carefully.

Incorrectly made supplements can make copper even more oxidative, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s, cancer, etc.

I’ll be writing up a full guide (with recipes and precautions) in the near future.

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~Dr. Malek

Keep in mind that this is not official medical advice. These are NOT recommendations; this is purely educational information. No doctor-patient relationship is established through this article or through any other information provided on this website.