Disease Prevention through Lifestyle: A Case of the Copper to Zinc Ratio and Insulin Sensitivity

Abstract

Both type 2 diabetes mellitus and a high ratio of copper to zinc are independently associated with comorbidities involving multiple organs. Separately, patients with poor insulin sensitivity are often reported as having high copper and low zinc. This article reports the case of a 46-year-old male patient interested in reversing his insulin resistance and high copper to zinc ratio, therefore reducing his long-term risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Over a period of 16 weeks, through lifestyle changes and controlling for copper in the patient’s food and water supply, the patient’s copper to zinc ratio improved from 1.91 to a healthy level of 0.55 and his HOMA-IR score improved from 2.0 to a nondiabetic level of 1.2.