Trace Element Balance Supports Mental Health

Research shows that trace element levels in the blood, such as zinc and copper, may provide insights into mental health disorders. Explore the findings and their implications.

Researchers are exploring whether nutrients found in the blood could provide additional clues about mental health.

In this study, 168 people with psychiatric disorders were compared with 61 healthy adults. Researchers measured several trace elements, including zinc, copper, iron, and magnesium.

People with psychiatric disorders generally had lower zinc and iron but higher copper levels than healthy controls.

Zinc was lower across people with mood spectrum, personality, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The researchers also found a higher copper-to-zinc ratio across all three psychiatric groups.

These findings are interesting because trace elements support many processes needed for healthy brain function.

Zinc and magnesium help regulate communication between nerve cells, iron contributes to neurotransmitter production and brain function, and zinc and copper are involved in antioxidant defenses. An altered balance between copper and zinc may also be connected with oxidative stress and inflammation.

The researchers found that considering several element-related measurements together was better at distinguishing psychiatric patients from healthy adults than considering any single element. This suggests that patterns and balance may be more informative than a single nutrient measurement.

These results do not mean that trace element testing can diagnose a mental health condition or that these differences cause psychiatric disorders.

The study measured participants at only one point in time and did not evaluate their diets.

More research is needed to determine whether trace element patterns can eventually provide useful additional information in mental health care.

Reference

Squitti, Rosanna et al. “The serum trace metal signature distinguishes patients with psychiatric disorders from healthy controls.” Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine vol. 38,5 (2025): 1601-1613. doi:10.1007/s10534-025-00723-4 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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