Health

Copper, zinc and iron make up a trio of minerals that are essential for our wellbeing. According to International Health Committees, we should ensure we have a daily intake of copper. This brief article looks at why copper is essential to human health, how much we need and points to the best sources of this vital trace element.

Naturally present in the body and in the environment, copper is a vital trace element, especially for a foetus or a child. Copper participates in the development of many physiological functions, including the nervous and cardiovascular systems, iron transport and bone growth, while also ensuring the proper functioning of the immune functions.

Throughout life, the body needs a regular supply of copper to stay in good health and there would appear to be greater risk of health effects from a deficiency of copper intake than from excess consumption⁴. International Health Committees, such as the IPCS (WHO), and the US National Academy of Science, recommend that healthy adults have an intake of 1.3 mg per day. Sensitive individuals, such as elderly people, may benefit from a slightly higher intake. A lack of copper may provoke anaemia, because copper helps to absorb iron into the system.

There may be a relationship between copper deficiency and the development of cardiovascular illnesses, as well as copper deficiency-related neurological syndromes. Copper has an impact on the normal metabolism of cholesterol: healthy adults whose diet contains low levels of copper have higher rates of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lower rates of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

Copper also plays an important role in the health of the skeletal system. Studies suggest the existence of possible correlations between copper deficiency and osteoporosis, because the element plays an active role in bone mineralisation.

So where can we find copper in our everyday foods? Chocolate, for example, is rich in copper. Other sources include seafood, offal (such as liver), whole grains, nuts, grapes and certain legumes (such as beans, peas and lentils).

In a future issue, we will describe a UK hospital trial investigating the potential for copper’s special anti-microbial properties to combat harmful pathogens such as MRSA.

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⁴ According to the International Programme on Chemical Safety (WHO), “from available data on human exposures worldwide, but particularly in Europe and the Americas, there is greater risk of health effects from a deficiency in copper intake than from an excess in copper intake”.