Copper
COPPER was first discovered and used by neolithic man during the Stone Age, estimated to be around 8000 BC. Since bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, the Bronze Age (circa 3000 to 1000 BC), takes its name from its use during this period. The chemical symbol Cu and the word copper were derived from the Roman name for the Cyprian metal, cuprum, because their source of copper was Cyprus.
In 1925, studies revealed that a small amount of copper, along with iron, was necessary for hemoglobin formation, but, in 1931, it was discovered that copper was more effective than iron alone in overcoming anemia in milk-fed infants. Copper is commonly thought of as being necessary only for piping, wires, and pots and pans, but we now know that it is an essential element necessary in the diet since it cannot be manufactured by the body.
Copper is necessary for the conversion of iron to hemoglobin, necessary in improving energy and alertness. It also assists in the utilization of Vitamin C, reaching the bloodstream within fifteen minutes after ingestion. It assists the amino acid, tyrosine, to work as a pigmenting factor for skin and hair. When bound to such substances as zinc and ceruloplasmin, copper becomes an important blood antioxidant preventing polyunsaturated fats from turning rancid in the body, thereby limiting the production of free radicals. Ceruloplasmin is an acute phase reactant or an emergency antioxidant that cannot function without copper. In testing, copper has protected against viral and chemically induced cancers. Although not easily destroyed, copper is required only in small amounts, with the rest being excreted.
Copper also exists in an unbound form known as copper ions. These ions can be powerful generators of free radicals. It has been suggested that the contraceptive loop (IUD) worked on this principle -- killing sperm by its generation of oxygen radicals.
Copper deficiencies are thought to be responsible for anemia, low white blood cells, bone density loss, and lung damage as a result of emphasema. Menkes' syndrome is an inherited defect in copper absorption, characterized by poor and abnormal growth, defective skin pigmentation, kinky hair, mental impairment, and premature death. High levels of zinc over a period of time can contribute to loss of copper in the body. Copper deficiency in young men leads to a significant lowering of HDL in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease. It is porposed that copper is involved in carcinogenesis, not by direct mechanism, but by antagonizing selenium, thereby diminishing selenium's protective effects against cancer. Researchers have found elevated copper levels in certain kinds of cancer, but further research is needed in this area.
Other names include: Cu, Cu+, Cu+2, Cu++, element 29. It is often labelled commercially as "copper gluconate" or "cupric sulphate."
Deficiency symptoms include: anemia, red blood cell rupture, faulty bone development, bone disease, weakness, difficulty in breathing, faulty nerve development, decreased sense of taste, eczema, skin sores, abnormal skin/hair pigmentation.
Toxicity symptoms include: abdominal pain, enlargement of liver/spleen, cirrhosis of liver, increased blood pressure, increased fat in feces, insomnia, jaundice, emotional agitation, decreased zinc to brain.
Helpers include: cobalt, iron, zinc. There are no known inhibitors.
Note: Copper can be detoxified by manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. Wilson's disease makes one easily susceptible to copper poisoning.
