Add-on · Minerals
A red cell copper test measures copper inside your red blood cells. Copper helps you use iron, make red and white blood cells, keep nerves healthy and build connective tissue. Low copper is most often caused by long-term zinc supplements or poor absorption. You can add red cell copper to TrueVitals Ultimate for £79.
Add-ons are tested on the same blood draw as your panel and reported inside your clinician-reviewed report, read alongside your other 140 results. They are not sold on their own.
Pay in instalments with Klarna or Clearpay at checkout. Want it with Advanced instead? Email support@truevitals.co.uk and we will set it up.
Copper is part of enzymes that move iron out of storage, make energy, protect cells from oxidative damage and form collagen and the coating around nerves. Most copper in serum is carried by a protein called ceruloplasmin, which rises with oestrogen and inflammation. That makes serum copper harder to interpret, while red cell copper is less affected by those changes.
Zinc and copper compete for absorption, so the two are best read together, often as a zinc to copper balance. Your report also reads copper with your full blood count, ferritin and white cells, which show the usual effects of a real shortfall.
This test is not used to diagnose Wilson's disease, a rare inherited copper disorder. That needs ceruloplasmin, urine copper and specialist assessment.
| Option | Includes it | Price | What else you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate + red cell copper | Yes | £478 incl. clinic draw (home visit £507) | Read alongside full blood count, ferritin, white cells, B12 and liver function. Clinician-reviewed report. |
| TrueVitals Signature | Serum only | £799 incl. draw | Includes serum copper (not red cell), with 230 biomarkers at Randox Health clinics. |
| NHS GP | On request | Free if clinically indicated | Serum copper and ceruloplasmin for specific clinical questions. |
TrueVitals prices checked 5 November 2026. Every TrueVitals report is clinician-reviewed. Pay in instalments with Klarna or Clearpay. Book a draw at one of 103 partner clinics, or add a home visit.
When to see your GP: new numbness, weakness or unsteadiness, or yellowing of the skin or eyes, need medical assessment rather than an add-on test.
A private panel is a good way to get a baseline, understand a result in context and track it over time. It does not replace your GP for symptoms, and anything that needs follow-up is flagged in plain words in your report.
Red cell copper on its own rarely tells the whole story. In TrueVitals panels it is reported with these related markers:
No. You can add red cell copper to Ultimate for £79. Signature includes serum copper.
Yes. Zinc increases a protein in the gut that traps copper, so long-term zinc supplements are the most common cause of low copper in otherwise healthy people.
Oestrogen raises ceruloplasmin and serum copper. Red cell copper is less affected, but tell us about the pill or HRT in your lifestyle quiz so your report can take it into account.
No. Wilson's disease needs ceruloplasmin, 24-hour urine copper and specialist assessment. If it is suspected, your GP can refer you.
Yes. Email support@truevitals.co.uk and we will set up an order with both add-ons.
Some specialist add-ons are sent on to a reference laboratory. Your main report arrives within 4 working days, and if an add-on result comes back later it is added to your report automatically and we let you know.
How this page was written: by James Smillie, founder of TrueVitals, reviewed by the TrueVitals clinical review team, using NHS and laboratory reference sources. Ranges are typical values; your report uses your lab's own ranges. TrueVitals sells the panels named on this page, so we have stated plainly what this test cannot do. Last updated 5 November 2026.
Ultimate + red cell copper: £478 including the clinic draw, or £507 with a home visit. Clinician-reviewed report.
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