MAIN Health Vitamins & Minerals Copper

Although the recommended daily dose of copper is only 0.9 mg a day, copper is an extremely important nutrient to a number of bodily systems.

Copper is essential for the formation of healthy nerves, bones, blood, hair, skin, and connective tissue, and so it is vitally important to maintain healthy levels of copper. Copper also provides a number of more specific health benefits.

Copper is thought to be of great benefit to those who suffer from anemia. One of the symptoms of anemia is lowered levels of hemoglobin, which are the main components of blood. Copper, along with iron, are essential for the formation of hemoglobin, and so are considered to be important for those suffering from anemia.

Burn victims are also thought to benefit from copper supplementation. The nature of a burn victim's injuries means that they often lose a substantial amount of micronutrients, one of which is copper. This lose of a large variety of micronutrients puts the entire body under a great deal of additional stress, and can mean delayed recovery times and a greater risk of complications.

Although it is a controversial topic, there is some substantial evidence to back up the claim that copper is beneficial to those suffering from arthritis. Taking copper orally, applying it to the skin, and even wearing copper bracelets have all been shown to have positive effects of arthritis, mainly by delaying onset and relieving pain. There is still no consensus on this issue, however, and many researchers maintain that copper has no effect on arthritis.

The official recommended daily dosage of copper is, to many researchers, far too small, and many recommend up to 3 mg a day, which would make most Americans copper deficient. With that in mind, black pepper, brazil nuts, cocoa, and oysters are all foods which contain relatively high amounts of copper.

Copper - Good general information on its benefits to bones, blood vessels, and nerves plus a detailed list of foods with serving sizes that help maintain proper daily levels.

Copper - Complete and even-handed overview of copper in human nutrition, its use in treating anemia, arthritis, burns, and other maladies, a list of good dietary sources, plus suggested dosages for children and adults, associated precautions and possible interactions, and comprehensive information on supporting research.

Copper - Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs - Very brief rundown on what copper does, good nutritional sources, recommended levels, known side effects and interactions.

Food Standards Agency - Copper - A quick definition with suggested food sources and daily allowances with more complete information and scientific assessment in PDF format.

also see Feature Story -> Combating Arthritis

also see in Vitamins & Minerals -> Calcium

Chromium | Magnesium | Potassium