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Yet even now the full range of copper’s many functions is believed to be
imperfectly understood, and researchers are still learning more.
Copper
principally acts within the body as a key component of many of the enzymes which
govern its vital physiological processes and biochemical reactions. Perhaps most importantly, different
copper dependent enzymes are vital for the production of energy within cells,
for the production of collagen, a protein essential for the health and strength
of the body’s connective tissue, and for the metabolism of a number of important
neuro-transmitting hormones within the brain and central nervous
system.
More
specifically, low blood levels of copper have been associated with anaemia, poor
functioning of the immune system, and raised cholesterol levels, to name but a
few. But nutritional therapists are
most likely to recommend increased copper intake as a safeguard against the
demineralisation of bones, leading to osteoporosis, and particularly in the
treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Copper is known to help in the body’s production of superoxide dismutase,
a powerful anti-inflammatory enzyme, which may well account for this effect; and
there’s evidence for the effectiveness of supplements of the safe compound,
copper sebacate, and the wearing of copper wrist bands as alleviatory
treatments.
Copper
is also important as an anti-oxidant, but care needs to be taken because both in
excess and deficiency it can also function as a pro-oxidant, potentially
accelerating the damage to and degeneration of the organism which may be caused
by free radicals. Copper’s
interaction with zinc, one of the most vital minerals for human health, is
particularly important in this context.
High intakes of copper are associated with deficiencies of zinc, and the
reverse is also true.
High
levels of copper, with low zinc, have been identified as a factor in
correspondingly high levels of oxidised low-density lipids (LDL), or “bad
cholesterol”; a key risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis
(hardening of the arteries), still one of the major causes of premature death in
the West. And it’s worth
noting in this context that adequate amounts of both copper and zinc are
required for the production of superoxide dismutase, one of the body’s most
important anti-oxidant enzymes. Low
zinc levels caused by excess copper have also been associated with mental
problems such as depression, anxiety and even
schizophrenia.
Achieving
the right balance of intake of the minerals is therefore crucially important and
the ratio of 1, copper: 10, zinc is generally recommended. A similar relationship exists between
copper and iron, with an excess of one leading to a deficiency of the other;
both excess and deficiency having potentially serious long-term consequences for
health.
Copper
dependent enzymes are also closely involved in the metabolism of vitamin C, and
there is some, though inconclusive, evidence that high intakes of the vitamin
may increase the body’s demand for copper.
This is not to suggest that vitamin C intake should be restricted,
because the health benefits of this nutrient are far too powerful for that. But it is yet another example of the
body’s holistic functioning; meaning that it is rarely if ever a good idea to
supplement with high doses of a single nutrient, and that attention needs always
to be paid to obtaining a balanced and comprehensive supplementation
programme.
A
wide variety of foods are useful sources of dietary copper, but the problem is
that the richest ones, liver and shellfish particularly, are foods which not
everyone finds easily palatable or accessible. Nuts and pulses, whole-grain cereals and
green vegetables may also provide a certain amount, but levels have been badly
affected by the demineralisation of farm soils. A further problem is that dietary
copper is often poorly absorbed, particularly when the diet is high in refined
carbohydrates or artificial sweeteners.
The
risks of copper toxicity appear to be low, although prolonged high doses may
sometimes give rise to liver problems.
The US Food and Nutrition Board has therefore prescribed an upper safe
limit of 10 mg per day for copper consumption. Some authorities, however, argue that
the potential pro-oxidant action of copper, and its interaction with other vital
minerals, particularly zinc, makes this limit too high for safety; and certainly
for optimal health.
That
said, the US Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for copper of just 2 mg has,
like all RDAs, been set only at the level judged sufficient for the avoidance of
outright deficiency and is almost certainly well below the level required for
optimal health. European
authorities have not set an RDA, but figures for the UK suggest that average
copper intake may be as low as 1.6 mg, with the corollary that 50% of the
populace fails to achieve even this low figure. Figures for the US are likely to be
similar, and the presumption must therefore be that most people in the West are
far more likely to suffer from a deficiency than an excess of
copper.
The
potentially harmful interaction with other minerals means, however, that any
supplementation of copper should be undertaken only as a part of a comprehensive
multi-mineral and multi-vitamin regime.
February 2008
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