Copper: supports cardiovascular system, joints, bones and against free radical damage
Copper (Cu) is a soft, metallic element essential to
good health and is classified as an essential mineral.
Various enzyme reactions require copper as well.
In your body, the liver and brain contain the largest amounts of copper.
Benefits of Copper
Copper is of vital importance for many reasons:
It supports the cardiovascular system, joints, bones and against free radical damage.
Copper is also vital for keeping our skin, blood vessels and connective tissue supple and elastic.
These well-documented findings came as a surprise to many who had been misled to believe that copper should be avoided because it is toxic and can generate free radicals.
Benefits of good copper nutrition is obvious, especially for those people consuming supplements of dietary copper antagonists like zinc and ascorbic acid.
Deficiency of Copper
If one's body does not acquire a sufficient amount of copper, iron can not be mobilized from body stores.
This explains why iron deficiency and copper deficiency have similarities.
Copper imbalances can produce various symptoms, inefficient utilization of iron and protein, diarrhea, high cholesterol, thyroid problems, stunted growth, mental and emotional problems.
Studies have been published that further establish the negative effects of copper deficiency in humans.
Not only is copper relatively non-toxic, but a deficiency of copper raises free-radical activity in our bodies by lowering the activity of many of our endogenous antioxidant peptides like superoxide dismutase, ceruloplasmin, and glutathione peroxidase.
Indeed a deficiency of copper increases an animal's damage from free radicals.
Research showing a negative effect of both zinc and ascorbic acid supplements on copper status was alarming for supplement users.
Some companies manufacture multivitamin or mineral products that contain little or no copper (and worse with high doses of vitamin C & Zinc), and do not worry about the possible consequences.
Remember the fundamental importance of adequate copper in good nutrition. Because copper supplements are inexpensive, its importance has generally been overlooked.
If copper were a high-priced nutrient it would have many vocal supporters pointing to its vital importance and remarkable health-promoting properties.