1) Copper helps transport oxygen through the human body.
2) The heart, brain and many other vital organs need copper in order to develop normally.
3) Copper plays an important role in the growth and maintenance of bones and connective tissue.
4) The immune system is stimulated to fight infections by copper and copper helps to repair and heal injured tissue.
5) Copper is involved in the nervous system’s functioning.
6) Copper helps to maintain the balance of other important metals in the body, such as zinc.
7) Enzymes that are involved in energy metabolism need copper to function properly.
8) Copper is one of the nutrients that helps to neutralize the free-radicals that damage cells in the body.
9) The maintenance of hair color depends on copper.
10) Copper is used to manufacture hormones.
It used to be feared, mistakenly, that infants and young children were very vulnerable to copper toxicity. Research in recent years has lessened these fears by discovering that the very young actually have mechanisms in place that allow their systems to manage copper as they develop. Surprisingly, the human fetus will store copper in order to be ready to meet needs for this mineral after birth.
Not long ago copper bracelets were popular as a treatment for arthritis. The thinking was that copper would be absorbed through the skin and fight the condition. To date, however, there is no clear evidence that copper bracelets have the desired effect. In fact, copper supplements are rarely recommended for adults at all, except in cases of conditions like alcoholism where copper in the body has been destroyed. When copper supplementation is most often used is in the treatment of premature and low birth-weight babies, and also for undernourished young children.
Copper is generally not toxic. One exception is for people with Wilson’s Disease, a rare genetic disease that calls for close watch of the sufferers’ copper levels because their bodies have a difficult time eliminating copper it does not need.
For adults the recommended daily amount of copper is between 1-2 mg per day. Sources of copper include the following foods: legumes, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and as a special treat, chocolate.
Copyright © Dennis Becker, 2004.
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