“I’m so tired,” Janna complained while we sat on her front porch, reveling in a balmy evening and sipping a glass of iced herbal tea.
I looked over at Janna and noticed her dry, brittle hair and skin to match. I remembered her complaints of joint pain. Her symptoms could have been a sign or any number of problems, but something clicked in the back of my mind.
I had shared many meals with my friend and I knew she was allergic to all kinds of nuts, hated even the thought of organ meats and mushrooms and never allowed a morsel of banana to pass her lips.
“You might have a copper deficiency,” I suggested, recalling something I had read recently.
Copper is the third most abundant trace mineral in the human body and, sadly, most North Americans get too little of this essential nutrient.
Copper is at the core of normal body function. Without copper, you cannot form the superpower of all antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD). Copper also helps our body create collagen, the protein that forms healthy joints and supple, young skin and it has a role in helping your body store iron, a critical component of the formation of hemoglobin in red blood cells. Scientists also suspect copper has a role in maintaining your immune system.
While actual copper deficiency is rare, scientists agree that most Westerners get less than the recommended daily intake of 2 mg of copper through their diets.
Much of our understanding of copper deficiency is the result of symptoms of deficiency in animals (which include) anemia, skeletal defects, degeneration of the nervous system, defects in pigmentation and structure of the hair, reproductive problems and abnormalities in the cardiovascular system.
Here are some of the benefits you can reap by keeping your copper consumption at the recommended 1-3 mg per day:
Protection against heart disease: Research shows copper helps keep your heart in rhythm and blood pressure in check. Cholesterol also remains at healthy levels when copper levels are optimal. Copper is also a good antioxidant, so it improves your protection against heart disease and other degenerative diseases.
Healthy skin and hair color: Copper is a component of the dark pigment, melanin that gives color to hair, skin and eyes. It is a component in consistent pigmentation, so it helps prevent blotchy skin coloration. Copper supplements may also help reverse graying hair, if the change in color is caused by copper deficiency.
Less joint pain: Copper has anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve arthritis. Many people wear copper bracelets to combat the inflammation and pain of arthritis, and while a small amount of copper may be absorbed through the skin, copper supplementation is a simpler way to get a measured amount into your system. Copper also helps your body manufacture elastin, a protein that keeps ligaments and blood vessels supple. Since copper is involved in the production of collagen, proper amounts can help you keep your joints well cushioned and even plumps skin and erases wrinkles.
Strong bones: That collagen also helps keep bone mineral density at optimum levels and may help prevent osteoporosis. Researchers at the University of California in San Diego found that postmenopausal women who took calcium alone got no benefit in preventing osteoporosis, but when copper, manganese and zinc were added to the calcium bone density actually increased.
Healthy pregnancy: In a benchmark 1984 study that set the standards for copper in pregnancy, researchers found that pregnant women have a higher risk of miscarriage and their babies a higher risk of birth defects if the mother’s copper levels are low. Those findings have remained true for more than 30 years now.
“I’m so tired,” Janna complained while we sat on her front porch, reveling in a balmy evening and sipping a glass of iced herbal tea.
