Wilson’s disease is a rare genetic disorder which occurs due to the excess accumulation of copper in the liver, brain and other vital organs of the body. While this disease is treatable through copper-chelating medications such as JollTRIN or Cuchel, one needs to incorporate a low-copper diet into their daily lifestyle for the best results. Besides, there are certain special considerations to be taken note of. Hence we have compiled this article that will take you through the low copper diet for Wilson’s Disease in detail.

Low Copper Diet: List of High and Low Copper Food

When you start your medication, your doctor will recommend you to follow a low copper diet for Wilson’s disease to ensure the best results. One may think that a low copper diet may not be nutritious, however, it usually contains all the adequate nutrients necessary for good health. The following is the list of High and low copper foods to take note of-

High Copper Foods:

Once you start the medication and the copper level in the body is stabilized, the following foods will be allowed to be included in your diet occasionally-

• Tofu
• Nuts and seeds
• Vegetable juice cocktail
• Mushrooms
• Nectarines
• Lamb
• Pork
• Salmon
• Organ meats including liver, heart, kidney, and brain
• Shellfish including oysters, scallops, shrimp, lobster, clams, and crab
• Soy protein meat substituteS
• Avocado
• Dried peas
• Lentils
• Millet
• Soy milk
• Cocoa
• Mineral water
• Soy-based beverages
• Copper-fortified formulas
• Barley
• Wheat germ
• Bran bread
• Cereals 
• Soy flour
• Sweet potatoes
• Chocolate milk

Low Copper Foods:

The following foods can be added to your low copper diet for Wilson’s disease -

• Beef
• Eggs
• White meat turkey and chicken
• Mayonnaise
• Non-dairy creamer
• Milk flavoured with carob
• Cheeses
• Cottage cheese
• Flavouring extracts
• Coffee
• Tea
• Fruit juices
• Sour cream
• Oils
• Most milk products
• Fruit-flavoured beverages
• Lemonade
• Most vegetables including fresh tomatoes
• Bread and pasta from refined flour
• Rice
• Regular oatmeal
• Butter
• Cream
• Margarine
• Soups made with allowed ingredients

You can read about how JollTRIN Trientine capsules use, and their benefits for Wilson’s Disease here

Tips for Low Copper Diet for Wilson’s Disease

The following are an important set of tips to take note of while taking a low-copper diet for Wilson’s disease- 

• The copper content in the food provided above may vary depending on a lot of factors such as the location of the soil in which the food was grown, or the method used to process the food.
• It is important to analyze your water intake. This is because water may contain elevated levels of copper. Hence, the copper content of your water should not be more than 0.1 ppm. 
• It is always recommended that you check food labels for the copper content. 
• Avoid using copper cooking utensils as that can leave traces of copper in food.

Key Takeaways

Wilson’s disease can be treated with copper-chelating medication containing Trientine Hydrochloride, alongside a low-copper diet. However, Trientine is an orphan drug making it a hard-to-find drug, but our online portal, JollyRX makes it accessible at an affordable price. At JollyRX, we aim to improve Indian healthcare by making rare drugs, readily accessible for one and all.