VisiVite Zinc and Copper Levels Supported by Published Study Results

Published studies support that 40 mg zinc and 1 mg copper, in a 40 to 1 ratio, has lower side effects and no significant difference in efficacy for macular degeneration when compared with 80 mg zinc and 2 mg copper as a daily dose. Furthermore, some people with specific complement factors may do worse with zinc.

Which Vitamin E is in Your Eye Vitamin? Reading VisiVite Zinc and Copper Levels Supported by Published Study Results 1 minute Next AREDS 2 Ingredients for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

By Dr. Paul KrawitzApr 6, 2021

Why does VisiVite use 40 mg daily zinc
rather than 80 mg daily zinc?

zinc in eye vitamins

VisiVite AREDS 2 Gold, E-Free, Select and Chewable Tablet formulas contain 40 mg zinc rather than 80 mg zinc per daily dose due to two reasons:

The original AREDS study in 2001 found that genitourinary hospitalizations were significantly more frequent in patients receiving 80 mg zinc/2mg copper.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/268224
The AREDS2 study found no significant different in outcome when 25 mg daily zinc was compared with 80 mg daily zinc. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1684847

Why does Visivite use 1 mg daily copper rather than 2 mg daily copper?

At the high levels in AREDS 2 supplements, zinc ingestion may cause anemia by competing with iron at the hemoglobin binding sites. Copper is required not to support macular degeneration, but rather to protect against a zinc-induced anemia. VisiVite uses a Zinc 40 to Copper 1 ratio, exactly as was done in both the AREDS and AREDS 2 research.