Copper is an essential trace nutrient found widely in tissues, with concentration
in liver, muscle, and bone. Copper functions as a co-factor in various enzymes. Used
for biological electron transport (reactions in which electrons are transferred from
a donor molecule to an acceptor molecule).
Involved in:
Needed for the absorption and utilisation of iron.
Works with iron in the formation of red blood cells.
Is needed to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the substance the body's cells convert
into energy.
Needed for some body hormones to be synthersided properly.
Need for collagen and tyrosinase (an enzyme that puts pigment into the skin) to be
synthesised properly
Several body hormones, as well as collagen (an important constituent of connective
tissue) and tyrosinase (the enzyme that puts pigment into the skin), require copper
in order to be synthesized properly.
Copper deficiency has been shown to cause:
Anaemia.
A drop in HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol).
Diarrhoea.
Stunted growth.
Excess copper can be toxic leading to problems such as:
Hemolytic anaemia.
Emotional problems.
Behavioural disorders.
Mood swings.
Depression.
Liver damage.
Schizophrenia.
Excema.
Sickle cell anaemia.
Severe damage to the central nervous system.
Oral contraceptives and smoking (tobacco) may also lead to a rise in the amount of
copper found in the blood.
Best absorbed and utilised in the body when cobalt, iron, zinc and folic acid is
available, should extra zinc supplements be taken, your need for copper may increase.
An excessive intake of zinc interferes with copper absorption. Therefore, if taking
zinc supplements people should also balance their copper intake (unless they have
Wilson's disease, a genetic disorder which causes an excess buildup of copper in
the body).
Absorption of large amounts of vitamin C and zinc can negatively influence the level
of copper in the body while large amounts of fructose may make a copper deficiency
worsen.
Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th ed. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press,
1989.
Sandstead HH. Requirements and toxicity of essential trace elements, illustrated
by zinc and copper. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;61(suppl):62S-64S.
Broun ER. Greist A, Tricot G, Hoffman R. Excessive zinc ingestion. A reversible cause
of sideroblastic anaemia and bone marrow depression. JAMA 1990;264:1441-43.
Jacob RA, Skala JH, Omaye ST, Turnlund JR. Effect of varying ascorbic acid intakes
on copper absorption and ceruloplasmin levels of young men. J Nutr 1987;117:2109-15.
Iodines main role is as constituents of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and
triiodothyronine (T3). These are made from addition condensation products of the
amino acid tyrosine, and are stored prior to release in an iodine-containing protein
called thyroglobulin.
The thyroid gland actively absorbs iodide from the blood to make and release these
hormones into the blood, actions which are regulated by a second hormone TSH from
the pituitary.
Thyroid hormones play a basic role in biology, acting on gene transcription to regulate
the basal metabolic rate - the speed at which oxygen is burned in the body to release
energy.
Involved in:
Production of hormones (such as thyroxin) by the thyroid gland, which in turn regulates
the conversion of fat to energy.
Food sources: Saltwater fish - Sea vegetation.
Large amounts of raw cabbage, peaches, pears, spinach and Brussels sprouts may block
the absorption of iodine.
Iron - used in the hemoglobin of red blood cells, in order to transport oxygen from
the lungs to the tissues and to export carbon dioxide back to the lungs.
Iron is also an essential component of myoglobin to store and diffuse oxygen in muscle
cells. The human body needs iron for oxygen transport and the body tightly regulate
iron absorption and recycling. Iron is such an essential element of human life that
the body has no physiologic regulatory mechanism for excreting iron.
Involved in:
Assisting the maintenance of the immune system.
Energy production.
Production of haemoglobin and myoglobin (the form of haemoglobin found in muscle
tissue).
The oxygenation of red blood cells.
Best taken between meals with Vitamin C (as a supplement should be almost balanced
with zinc).
Best with manganese, copper, molybdenum, vitamin A and B group vitamins.
Those who cannot regulate absorption well enough may experience disorders of iron
overload. In these diseases, the toxicity of iron starts overwhelming the body's
ability to bind and store it.
