Stack · 5 supplements
Eye Health (AREDS2-style)
The ingredients of the AREDS2 formula, which is used to slow intermediate age-related macular degeneration. The trial doses are high (zinc 80 mg with 2 mg copper) — use them only on an eye doctor's advice.
Timing
Daily schedule
- 08:00
Breakfast
with meal - 19:00
Dinner
with meal
2 rules
Interactions
ConflictCopper + ZincHigh-dose zinc can cause copper deficiency
High-dose zinc can cause copper deficiency
What to do
Keep total zinc at or below the 40 mg/day upper limit unless a clinician advises otherwise, and review the dose and duration with them if you need more. Spacing doses apart does not prevent this effect. Long-term formulas often include a little copper, but whether you need extra copper depends on your diet and status.
Why
Zinc induces metallothionein in intestinal cells. Metallothionein binds copper more tightly than zinc, trapping dietary copper until the cells are shed. Chronic intakes above ~40–50 mg/day have caused copper-deficiency anemia, low white-cell counts and neurological damage; high zinc intakes can also lower HDL cholesterol and impair immune function.
- 01NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Zinc Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
- 02NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Copper Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
- 03Duncan A et al. The predictive value of low plasma copper and high plasma zinc in detecting zinc-induced copper deficiency. Ann Clin Biochem 2016.
SynergyVitamin C + Vitamin EVitamin C recycles vitamin E
Vitamin C recycles vitamin E
What to do
No special timing needed.
Why
After vitamin E neutralizes a free radical in a cell membrane, vitamin C can regenerate it. Disease-prevention benefits of combining them in supplements have not been shown.
Buying guide
What to look for on the label
Vitamin C
- Ascorbic acid
- Buffered vitamin C if acid bothers your stomach
Vitamin E
- Natural d-alpha-tocopherol or mixed tocopherols
- Moderate doses — the SELECT trial linked 400 IU/day to higher prostate cancer risk
Zinc
- Zinc picolinate, bisglycinate or citrate
- Long-term formulas often include a little copper — that doesn't make doses above the upper limit safe
Copper
- Copper bisglycinate
- Copper gluconate
Lutein & Zeaxanthin
- 10 mg lutein + 2 mg zeaxanthin (the AREDS2 amounts)
- Softgels in oil for absorption