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MINERALS OVERVIEW
Copper is the third most abundant trace mineral in the human body. It is essential in all higher plants and animals. Copper is carried mostly in the bloodstream on a plasma protein called ceruloplasmin. When copper is first absorbed in the gut it is transported to the liver bound to albumin. Copper is found in a variety of enzymes, including the copper centers of cytochrome c oxidase, the Cu-Zn containing enzyme superoxide dismutase, and is the central metal in the oxygen carrying pigment hemocyanin. The blood of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus uses copper rather than iron for oxygen transport. It is believed that zinc and copper compete for absorption in the digestive tract so that a diet that is excessive in one of these minerals may result in a deficiency in the other.
Most Americans readily identify it as the darkish reddish, malleable metal used in cookware and plumbing. Numerous foods contain copper, although the particularly rich sources such as liver and oysters are not commonly consumed. In fact, most Americans get too little of this important nutrient.
Among its many functions, copper aids in the formation of bone, hemoglobin, and red blood cells, and works in balance with zinc and vitamin C to form elastin, an important skin protein. It is involved in the healing process, energy production, hair and skin coloring, and taste sensitivity. This mineral is also needed for healthy nerves and joints. One of the early signs of copper deficiency is osteoporosis.
Copper is essential for the formation of collagen, one of the fundamental proteins making up bones, skin, and connective tissue. Other possible signs of copper deficiency include anemia, baldness, diarrhea, general weakness, impaired respiratory function, and skin sores. A lack of copper can also lead to increased blood fat levels.
MoonDragon's Health & Wellness: Copper Deficiency
Excessive intake of copper can lead to toxicity, which has been associated with depression, irritability, nausea and vomiting, nervousness, and joint and muscle pain. Ingesting a quantity as small as 10 mg usually causes nausea, 60 mg generally results in vomiting and just 3.5 grams (3,500 mg) can be fatal. Children can be affected at much smaller dosage levels.
BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS & HEALTH BENEFITS OF COPPER
The body needs copper for normal growth and health. Copper is needed to help body use iron. It is also important for nerve function, bone growth, and to help body use sugar. Copper is a component of or a cofactor for approximately 50 different enzymes. These enzymes need copper to function properly. Copper is an essential nutrient that plays a role in the production of hemoglobin, myelin, collagen, and melanin. Copper also works with vitamin C to help make a component of connective tissue known as elastin. Copper is a critical functional component of a number of essential enzymes, known as cuproenzymes. Copper is an essential component of the natural dark pigment, melanin, that colors skin, hair, and eyes. The cuproenzyme, tyrosinase, is required for the formation of the pigment melanin. Melanin is formed in cells called melanocytes and plays a role in the pigmentation of the hair, skin, and eyes. Copper is a strong antioxidant. It works together with an antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), to protect cell membranes form being destroyed by free radicals. Copper is needed to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy the body runs on. Copper may play a role in staving off heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias) and high blood pressure. Copper's anti-inflammatory actions may help in reducing arthritis symptoms.
SOURCES
Copper is also widely distributed in foods. Food sources include almonds, avocados, barley, beans, beets, blackstrap molasses, broccoli, garlic, lentils, organ meats (especially liver), mushrooms, nuts, oats, oranges, pecans, radishes, raisins, salmon, seafoods, soybeans, and green leafy vegetables. The best source of copper is oysters.
Additional copper can come from drinking water from copper pipes, using copper cookware, and eating farm products sprayed with copper-containing chemicals. Copper may be decreased in foods that have high acid content and are stored in tin cans for a long time.
COMMENTS
The level of copper in the body is related to the levels of zinc and vitamin C. Copper levels are reduced if larger amounts of zinc or vitamin C are consumed. If copper intake is too high, levels of vitamin C and zinc drop.
The consumption of high amounts of fructose can significantly worsen a copper deficiency. In a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people who obtained 20 percent of their daily calories from fructose showed decreased levels of red blood cell superoxide dismutase (SOD), a copper-dependent enzyme critical to antioxidant protection within the red blood cells.
CAUTIONS
Excessive copper in the body can promote destruction of eye tissue through oxidation. Persons with eye problems should be especially careful to balance their intake of copper with that of iron, zinc, and calcium.
Keep copper supplements away from children, as toxic and even lethal reactions can occur with high doses.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take extra care to avoid high doses of copper. You should consult with your midwife or health care provider before taking any herbal or nutritional supplement during pregnancy or while you are lactating.
HEALTH BENEFITS
An essential component of numerous enzymes and proteins, copper helps the body function normally. It's necessary for the formation of one of the apparent superpower antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD). It's also critical for the creation of collagen, a core protein found in bones, connective tissues, and skin. And it is believed to help in the proper storage, use, and release of iron so critical to the formation of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
A role in maintaining immunity is suspected as well.
SPECIFIC CONDITIONS COPPER MAY HELP:
Preventing heart disease. Copper may play a role in staving off heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias) and high blood pressure, research indicates. With adequate stores of copper in your system, cholesterol levels also have a better chance of remaining low. And through its apparent antioxidant actions-its ability to protect against damage from free radicals-copper may also help to prevent heart disease (as well as other ailments such as cancer).
Maintain healthy skin and hair color. Copper is an essential component of the natural dark pigment, melanin, that colors skin, hair, and eyes. It is also believed to promote and preserve consistent pigmentation. When hair turns gray due to copper deficiency, taking copper supplements may well reverse the graying process.
Alleviate rheumatoid arthritis - related inflammation. Copper's anti-inflammatory actions may help in reducing arthritis symptoms. An old folk remedy calls for wearing a copper bracelet; copper is thus absorbed through the skin. The modern approach is to take copper supplements, thus ensuring ingestion of consistent amounts. Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers also tend to be deficient in zinc, a mineral commonly combined with zinc in supplement products.
Encourage bone health and prevent osteoporosis. Through its role in maintaining collagen integrity, copper may minimize loss in mineral bone density over time, a development that can lead to osteoporosis. A study demonstrating this property found that women taking a daily 3 mg supplement experienced no apparent loss in mineral bone density, while the women given a placebo had significant loss of bone density. All of the participants, women between the ages of 45 and 56, were in good health at study start. Zinc is taken for similar bone-strengthening purposes; results with zinc/copper combinations may take at least six months. Copper may safely be added to a regimen of prescription drugs or estrogen therapy.
SUPPLEMENTAL FORMS
Copper supplements are available in these forms:
- Tablet.
- Capsule.
- Liquid.
Copper supplements are available as cupric oxide, copper gluconate, copper sulfate, and copper amino acid chelates.
RECOMMENDED CALCIUM INTAKE
There is no Recommended Daily Allowance for copper. To keep the body running smoothly, however, most adults require 1.5 to 3 mg daily.
If You Get Too Little: Preliminary findings indicate that mild copper insufficiency may result in a cholesterol profile that increases heart disease risk. A study involving 24 men found that a diet low in copper was associated with not only a drop in levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol but a significant rise in LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels.
True copper deficiency may cause such symptoms as anemia, low body temperature, fatigue, high blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders such as irregular heartbeat, skeletal defects, osteoporosis and bone fractures, infertility, and hair that is brittle and discolored, prominently dilated veins, low white blood cell count, high cholesterol levels, increased susceptibility to infections, birth defects, loss of pigment from the skin and thyroid disorders.
Such deficiency is rare, however. When it does occur, it tends to be in individuals with Crohn's disease, celiac disease, or inherited conditions that inhibit proper absorption of copper (albinism, for example). Menkes' Syndrome is an inherited copper deficiency that occurs in male infants who have inherited a mutant X-linked gene with an incidence of about 1 in 50,000 live births. Children with Menkes' disease are unable to absorb copper normally and become severely deficient unless medically treated early in life.
If You Get Too Much: As little as 10 mg of copper taken at one time can cause stomach ache, nausea, muscle pain, and other unpleasant reactions. But there have been no reports of severe copper toxicity. Some people, however, develop anemia when exposed to large amounts over time.
All copper compounds, unless otherwise known, should be treated as if they were toxic. Symptoms of acute copper toxicity include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which help prevent additional ingestion and absorption of copper. More serious signs of acute copper toxicity include severe liver damage, kidney failure, coma, and death. 30 g of copper sulfate is potentially lethal in humans. The suggested safe level of copper in drinking water for humans varies depending on the source, but tends to be pegged at 1.5 to 2 mg/l. The DRI Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults of dietary copper from all sources is 10 mg/day. Supplemental copper is contraindicated in those with Wilson's disease (hepatolenticular degeneration), a disease of abnormal copper accumulation.
GENERAL DOSAGE INFORMATION
For General Good Health: Try to ingest close to 3 mg copper a day from food and supplement sources combined. Megadoses are not needed. In fact, most multi-vitamins contain copper.
DOSAGE, INTAKE, RECOMMENDED DAILY ALLOWANCE (RDA)
Normal daily recommended intakes are generally defined as follows:
Infants: Birth to 6 Months 200 mcg Infants: 7 to 12 Months 220 mcg Children: 1 to 3 Years 340 mcg Children: 4 to 8 Years 440 mcg Children: 9 to 13 Years 700 mcg Children: 19 Years & Older 900 mcg Adults: 1 to 3 Years 340 mcg Pregnant Females 1,000 mcg Breastfeeding Females 1,300 mcg
GUIDELINES FOR USE
When possible, take copper supplements at the same time every day.
To reduce the risk of stomach irritation, take copper with a meal.
Because zinc will deplete your body's copper reserves when taken for longer than a month - it inhibits copper absorption - the two minerals are often combined in supplement products. If you take zinc supplements for longer than one month, be sure to add 2 mg of copper to your daily regimen. Zinc is recommended for a wide range of ailments, from colds to ulcers.
GENERAL INTERACTION
When taken long-term (longer than one month), zinc can deplete copper reserves.
Chronic antacid use may decrease the absorption of copper.
There is a risk that the absorption of zinc will be impaired by taking excessive amounts of chromium (more than commonly recommended). This problem can be resolved by taking extra zinc, either through your diet or supplements.
COPPER SUPPLEMENTS & PRODUCTS
Copper Ionic Mineral Supplement, Fully Absorbable, 50 +/- ppm, 16 fl. oz.
WaterOz Ionic Copper is a pure liquid Copper supplement. Copper influences protein metabolism and general healing, improves vitamin c oxidation and is integral in the formation of RNA.
ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops, Cherry Flavor, 8 fl. oz.
ConcenTrace ® Trace Mineral Drops, Cherry Flavor contains some of the Most Powerful, Natural, Health Giving Trace Minerals in the World.
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HerbalRemedies: Copper Supplements & Products
HerbalRemedies: Copper Information
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