Do You Eat Enough Copper?
t helps your body make red blood cells and keeps nerve cells and your immune system healthy. It also helps form collagen, a key part of bones and connective tissue. Copper may also act as an antioxidant, reducing free radicals that can damage cells and DNA.
Signs of possible copper deficiency include anemia, low body temperature, bone fractures and osteoporosis, low white blood cell count, irregular heartbeat, loss of pigment from the skin, and thyroid problems….fatigue or low energy levels, low body temperature, unexplained, weight loss, skin inflammation, weakened, immune system, muscle soreness, joint pain
Copper can help in maintaining healthy skin and hair by stimulating blood flow to the scalp, building up elasticity in hair, reducing greasiness, reducing symptoms of dandruff, building up collagen and elastin, reducing damage done by free radicals, and protecting from sun damage
Melanin provides the pigments necessary to form blonde, red, brown or black hair. For the body to produce melanin, it must have access to the copper-containing enzyme tyrosinase. Thus, if the hair follicles aren’t receiving enough copper, melanin synthesis ceases and hair loses its pigment.
A copper deficiency is rare in the U.S. among healthy people and occurs primarily in people with genetic disorders or malabsorption problems such as Crohn’s and celiac disease. A genetic condition called Menkes disease interferes with copper absorption, leading to severe deficiency that could become fatal without copper injections.
- Shitake Mushrooms
- And just other mushrooms
- Apricots
- Tofu
- Beans
- Quinoa
- Sweet Potatoes
- Seeds
- Cashews
- Chickpeas
- Dark Chocolate
- Avocado
To avoid a copper deficiency, it’s important that copper intake stays in balance with zinc and iron levels. If you consume too much of one, it can throw the other mineral levels out of balance. People who are supplementing with zinc or iron are at a greater risk of copper deficiency and should be aware of this precaution.