Minerals Crucial for Our Health: Why Is Copper So Important?
Calcium for strong bones, magnesium for the nervous system, and potassium for the right muscle work and heart rate. But how about copper? What do we know about copper and why is it so important for our bodies?
Copper is a mineral necessary for the proper functioning of the human body. It is found in all tissues in the body and plays an important role in the production of red blood cells, nerve cells, and stimulates the immune system. It helps in the formation of collagen, iron absorption, and energy production.
Copper is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods and is found in many dietary supplements. It is involved in many physiological processes, the regulation of gene expression, brain development, pigmentation, and immune function.
Copper is also important in the regulation of metabolism, fats, the generation of energy, the formation of melanin in the skin, and the work of the nervous system.
What Is the Role of Copper in Our Bodies?
Copper is an essential nutrient for your body. It is necessary so the body can function optimally. Together with iron, it enables the body to create red blood cells. Getting enough copper in your diet can also help prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
It helps maintain healthy bones, blood vessels, nerves, and immune function, and contributes to iron absorption. High cholesterol and high blood pressure lower the levels of copper in the body.
Copper plays an important role in maintaining the proper levels of collagen and elastin, the main structural components of our body. Scientists have hypothesized that copper has antioxidant properties that, along with other antioxidants, can help prevent skin aging.
Without enough copper, the body cannot replace the damaged connective tissue or the collagen that forms a kind of scaffold for the bones. As a consequence, it can lead to several problems, including joint dysfunction.
What Are the Best Copper Sources?
Many foods contain copper. Eating them regularly will help you meet your daily requirements for this nutrient. Here they are:
- seafood – oysters, lobsters, calamari, clams
- beef
- liver
- nuts – cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, macadamia nuts, peanuts
- lentils
- soy
- pomegranate
- chocolate or cocoa
- cereals
- tomatoes
- avocado
- plums
- bananas
- boiled potatoes
- black pepper
More Than Just Food
What is interesting is that the benefits of copper are important not only through direct intake of foods and supplements, but they are also remarkable when it comes to copper tools like pots, mugs, dishtrays, having a copper tub, etc. Thanks to copper’s natural antibacterial properties it is experiencing a renaissance at the moment. There was a time when copper items were famous, but copper household items are now coming back to use.
Soaking in a copper tub gives the benefits of the metal accessory to your skin. The skin then absorbs the natural antibacterial properties of copper, giving it a cleaner wash. The skin cells will then absorb some of the copper residues from the bathwater. Having a copper tub is both a luxury and a need.
Copper Pots and Frying Pans
Do you remember this old-school frying pan your grandmother would use?
The greatest advantage of copper pots is their excellent heat conductivity. They heat up quickly and evenly. Thanks to this, nothing sticks to them, the heat does not accumulate in one place, and is evenly distributed throughout the dish.
Cooking in copper pots is also healthy, and years ago they were even used to filter water. If left in them for a few hours, it is cleaned of all microorganisms by copper ions.
Electric Kitchen Amenities
Copper is now a very fashionable kitchen accessory so producers use it in toasters, electric kettles, and coffee machines. They look great in both: vintage-style kitchens and modern kitchen furniture.
Copper Bathtubs
Now let’s go to the bathroom. Antique copper bathtubs are a unique product and will satisfy the most sophisticated tastes. They are a wonderful decoration of the elegant bathroom. A freestanding copper tub might be the center of your home spa.
But their importance is not only in their visual aspect. Copper tubs have natural antibacterial properties, which is why copper bathtubs are not only beautiful but also desirable wherever antiseptic conditions are required. Due to the antibacterial properties of copper, copper bathtubs are often used in hospitals and spas.
Having a copper tub is what we call a modern luxury. Copper bathtubs are also very durable, even if there are scratches on them, the texture naturally returns to its original state. Thanks to its natural antibacterial properties, copper bathtubs are the safest for health. Especially for people with sensitive, dry, itchy skin and eczema.
A copper bathtub is easy to maintain as it does not require any special care. Its surface is covered with a coating that protects the copper from discoloration.
When planning and designing interior fittings, it is worth choosing products and materials that have natural properties that support the fight against microorganisms. The copper clawfoot tub is the best addition to a luxurious bathroom.
Copper products are experiencing a renaissance right now. Although microbes were not discovered until the nineteenth century, the health-promoting properties of copper were already appreciated many centuries earlier.
The Danger of Copper Deficiency
Copper deficiency can lead to health problems such as anemia, heart and circulation problems, and bone abnormalities. Other serious health problems may be malfunctioning of the nervous and immune systems, lungs, and kidneys.
Contrary to a deficiency which may be more common, excess copper is quite a rare occurrence. Nevertheless, too much copper in the body can cause:
- nausea
- vomiting, especially black or bloody
- stomach pain
- headaches
- dizziness
- diarrhea
- a metallic taste in the mouth
- general fatigue
Copper supplements are available, usually as a complex formulation with other minerals such as zinc and chrome. However, this ingredient should be supplemented naturally, through food. Importantly, the nutrients in food interact with each other to create an effect that is more significant than the effect achieved by taking individual nutrients separately in the form of pharmaceutical preparations.
Copper For a Healthy Life
In everyday products, copper is present in pure form or as an alloy. The two best-known copper alloys are bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) and brass (an alloy of copper and zinc).
After the Covid-19 pandemic, we will probably be more open not only to eco products but most of all to health-promoting materials. So not only copper bathtubs and sinks, but also copper pots and pans which are already used in the best restaurants. Moreover, copper dishes are becoming more and more popular in our homes.
After years of oblivion, copper products are returning to our lives. And their return is quite triumphant.
We are now more and more convinced that things that come from nature are the healthiest for us. After decades of admiration for plastics and artificial rubber, we want natural and healthy products again. Moreover, copper household items perfectly match the design trends, making our home not only healthier but also more stylish.
