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BACKGROUND Obesity is considered a state of enhanced oxidative stress as well as chronic and low-grade inflammation. The copper-zinc ratio in obese individuals has been reported to reflect systemic oxidative stress and inflammatory status. We investigated whether the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio is related to the copper-zinc ratio in hair, within the context of a normal white blood cell count among overweight or obese Korean individuals. METHODS We included 56 participants aged older than 20 years who voluntarily sought weight reduction treatment and met the inclusion criterion of body mass index of 23 kg/m2 or greater. Intra-abdominal visceral adipose tissue was measured by computed tomography imaging, while the copper and zinc levels were measured by hair mineral analysis. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we examined the associations between the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and the copper-zinc ratio. RESULTS The mean age, body mass index, and visceral adipose tissue were 46.0±10.5 years, 29.0±4.1 kg/cm2 , and 142.9±68.8 cm2 , respectively. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed the association of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio with copper level (r=0.475, P