Deficiency symptoms
Anaemia with debilitation, oedema, nervous irritation, brittleness of the bones, chronic or periodic diarrhoea, loss of one's natural hair colour, bad hair structure, a lowered amount of white blood cells - which leads to a weakening of the immune system and a susceptibility to infections, failing sense of taste, shortness of breath, skin sores, rheumatic inflammations, and heart failure.
Poisoning symptoms
Overstimulation of the central nervous system, "swarming thoughts", frayed temper, alienation, autism, anger, paranoia, depression, aggresiveness, hyperactivity, stuttering, brittle hair, PMS= premenstrual syndrome, violence and other kinds of criminal conduct. The contraceptive coil can cause copper poisoning and so can copper bracelets (these bracelets can also sometimes relieve rheumatic inflammations).
In other cases, the amount of copper is already heightened in the body, e.g. in case of epilepsy, zinc deficiency, schizophrenia, high blood cholesterol level, and in women who are on the pill. Plasma copper is often high in women just before their menstrual period and the mental effect of this can be a significant symptom of PMS. A copper excess can be reduced with zinc, manganese, vitamin C, and rutin.
RDA
2,6 mg.
Therapeutic dosage
Copper orotate, copper gluconate, copper picolinate - equivalent to a maximum of 5 mg of copper.
Richest natural sources
Lobster, crab, oysters, olives, unpolished rice, liver, cauliflower, avocado, green beans, curly cale, treacle, green peas, mushrooms, peanuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, soy beans, wheat germ, yeast, gelatine, bran, seeds, chocolate, coffee, and tea.
The copper status varies a lot in modern westerners; many suffer from copper poisoning, many suffer from copper deficiency. Copper is a co-factor to many enzymes that e.g. are part of the formation of melanin, collagen and elastin, cytochromoxidase and the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD) that also contains zinc and selenium.
An excess of zinc, cadmium, flourine and molybdenum in the body can lower the copper level. Phytine can bind copper, and also zinc, calcium and iron, so that it cannot be used by the body.
The copper in the body is first and foremost deposited in the liver, but there are also relatively large amounts in the brain, the heart and the kidneys. As one grows older, the amount of copper in the liver falls, whereas the amount in the brain rises.
In new-born babies, the amount of copper in the liver is 5 times higher than in adults. This constitutes the infant's reserves for months, since the mother's milk does not contain much copper. An oestrogen treatment rises the plasma copper.
A very large part of the copper absorption does not come from foods, but from environmental pollutants. Corporation water in the older parts of the housing stock, or the new ones where the water is soft, can add considerable amounts of copper.
Many insecticides and other sprays that are used in the food industry contains copper; especially those used on fruits and vegetables. Zinc, cadmium, flourine and molybdenum in large amounts take away copper from the body.
Copper deficiency especially strikes small children due to malnutrition, diarrhoea, premature birth, insufficient copper deposits from the mother, substandard baby food (with a high content of iron and no copper) and in foods that contains large amounts of phytine (bread, grains, and breakfast cereal).
An extremely large intake of vitamin C seems to lead to a copper deficiency, especially in people who suffer from rheumatism (if a broad-spectrum mineral supplement is not taken co-operatively).
