Recuperate IQ: The Many Vital Roles of Copper.

01Formula IQ has long created health-specific supplements with ingredients that support mainstream health concerns. An appreciated feature of our line is the ease of use – the name of each product is what it’s for.

This holds true for Recuperate IQ, as “recuperation” is the purpose of this formula. The ingredients support health homeostasis by re-introducing whole-food-based copper (Cu) and supporting nutrients that enhance its bioavailability.

Why we need bioavailable copper:

  • To load iron molecules onto red blood cell hemoglobin so they can deliver oxygen (1, 2).
  • For efficient electron transport chain function in the mitochondria to make ATP (3).
  • For collagen production and the formation of connective tissues (4).
  • To regulate certain gene expression (3).
  • It’s essential for brain and nervous system health and neurotransmitter formation (5).
  • It allows enzymes to function as potent antioxidants, metabolic regulators, and hormone modulators (3, 6).

Copper is often overlooked because it doesn’t have a prominent role like iron in delivering oxygen. It’s more subtle in that it’s the rate-limiting element of many enzymes. Our bodies make thousands of enzymes; many vital ones for life are copper-dependent (7).

Enzymes are like the construction crew of the body. They build and break down molecules and drive chemical reactions. Building materials like iron are useless if the construction crew doesn’t show up for work. Copper is like the car that gets the crew to their site.

Cuproenzymes that make life possible

At least 18 copper-dependent enzymes have been identified. These are some of the most foundational ones for life itself.

Ferroxidases

These are enzymes that regulate iron balance. They load iron into transferrin proteins, which deliver iron to the bone marrow, where red blood cells are made.

They are also responsible for loading iron atoms onto hemoglobin molecules. (8). Many people are told they are “iron deficient” when they actually need more bioavailable copper. (8). Ferroxidases also convert ferrous iron (the more reactive/toxic form) into ferric iron (the more stable form) (9).

Ceruloplasmin

One of the ferroxidase enzymes, whose role is to deliver copper to the many places in the body where it is needed, such as the mitochondria. It helps prevent the buildup of iron in the liver and is also a potent antioxidant (7).

Cytochrome C oxidase

This is the fourth and final subunit within the electron transport chain, allowing electrons to be passed along in the mitochondria to produce ATP (10). This subunit is copper-dependent, meaning your cells cannot produce efficient ATP-energy production without adequate bioavailable copper (7).

Copper-Zinc Superoxide Dismutase-1 (Cu/Zn-SOD1)

Superoxide is a damaging free radical that’s naturally produced as a bioproduct of cellular respiration (ATP production). Cu/Zn-SOD1 is present in the cellular environment and mitochondria to quince this free radical, converting it to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen (11).

Do we need supplemental copper?

Many people today may not be getting as much copper or the nutrients that make it bioavailable for several reasons:

  • Modern agriculture practices rob the soil of essential minerals (12, 13).
  • Glyphosate is sprayed on most of our food, strongly binding to and blocking copper absorption (14).
  • Zinc supplementation is recommended for immune support; isolated zinc is known to inhibit copper absorption and can result in overt deficiencies (8).
  • The most prominent reason copper intake is subpar these days is that we no longer eat the foods of our ancestors.

Liver is the richest dietary source of copper, followed by shellfish (12). Few people eat nose-to-tail, and most do not often eat enough shellfish to meet the body’s demands (6).

The problem with copper supplements, such as copper sulfate, is that this form of copper is very poorly absorbed. Copper-1 is absorbed ten times better than copper-2 (15). Whole-food sources are the best way to achieve adequate intake, but many people find organ meats aversive.

Morley Robbins has spent over a decade researching and developing the Root Cause Protocol, which is designed to restore proper mineral balance. With this knowledge of copper, its cofactors, and ancestral dietary principles, he has helped thousands of people recuperate their health.

In 2020, FIQ teamed up with Morley to produce the first whole-food-based copper support supplement – Recuperate IQ.

Recuperate IQ contains whole-food ingredients that are nature’s richest sources of absorbable copper and the essential cofactors like retinol that make it bioavailable to our cells.

  • New Zealand grass-fed and undefatted beef liver offers a balance of vitamins and minerals such as copper, iron, and trace minerals in ratios that our bodies prefer (16). It’s also a rich source of whole-food B vitamins and retinol, which enhance copper bioavailability (17).
  • Hawaiian Spirulina is a rich natural source of copper and trace minerals (18). Spirulina offers several other health benefits, including liver and detoxification support, antioxidant properties, and reduced histamine and allergic reactions (19).
  • Copper bisglycinate ensures a steady and reliable daily copper intake in a highly absorbable form. This form of copper is Cu2, but it has a molecule of glycine attached to its 2 electrons, effectively giving it a valence of 0 (neutral), making it non-reactive, and allowing for easy absorption into enterocytes (20).
  • Lastly, turmeric helps to chelate reactive iron molecules that cause oxidative stress (21) and is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties (22).

Thus, the name ‘Recuperate’ is precisely what it’s meant for – to restore copper (Cu) levels from whole-food sources (Re-Cu-perate) and aid in recuperating health homeostasis.

What about “copper toxicity?”

The term “copper toxicity” gets a lot of buzz in the natural health space and has unfortunately led to an unnecessary fear of this vital element.

True “copper toxicity” is rare. It can happen if accidental overconsumption exceeds the body’s excretion rate, and in Wilson’s disease, a genetic defect that results in an impaired ability to excrete copper (23). This NIH reports copper’s Tolerable Upper Intake Level as 10mg/d (24). Copper toxicity occurs with intake of >1g (10 times the UL) (23).

What is commonly misrepresented as “copper toxicity” is actually low copper bioavailability. Unbound copper (like iron) is reactive. Studies that have linked high copper levels to disease states show that unbound copper is the real culprit (25, 26, 27).

This suggests the need for a more root-cause approach to enhance copper bioavailability by getting adequate amounts of cofactors like retinol, magnesium, and whole-food vitamin C.

Recuperate IQ is a well-balanced, whole-food vitamin and mineral support supplement. Due to the overwhelmingly good feedback on Recuperate IQ, we’ve released a full suite of supplements that align with the Root Cause Protocol. Learn more about the synergistic effects of these supplements through the FIQ RCP Quickstart Guide.