Copper is a naturally occurring element and is important for your overall health. You need to take enough copper on a regular basis to maintain a well-balanced diet, and that is why you need to include different food sources to increase your intake of copper. Knowledge about copper health benefits will help you get an idea why you may want to pay attention to getting more of this element.

Many Health Benefits of Copper

Your body uses the amount of copper necessary for good health and eliminates the rest from your system. Here are some amazing benefits associated with copper.

1.    It Helps Prevent Arthritis

Copper has anti-inflammatory effect on your body and is therefore good against inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis. It is for this reason that many products geared towards arthritis patients now include copper. You can even find copper bracelets in the market to help treat arthritis.

2.    It Promotes Proper Growth

You need to have balanced levels of copper in your diet to prevent growth issues. It is important for the health of nervous, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems. Its deficiency would directly affect red blood cells and affect growth of organs and tissues. Copper deficiency during pregnancy may lead to growth and birth defects in children.

3.    It Promotes Utilization of Iron

One of many copper health benefits is associated with how it helps improve the absorption of iron in the body. By improving the absorption of iron, it helps you have healthy red blood cells, which ensures proper oxygenation to different organs in the body. It also plays a role in the prevention of iron-deficiency anemia, which can lead to muscle ache, fatigue, and digestive problems.

4.    It Is Essential for Pigmentation of Eyes and Hair

Since copper is an essential part of melanin, the natural dark pigment responsible for the color of your hair, skin, and eyes, its deficiency can lead to graying of the hair and other issues. It is equally important for the color of your eyes and keeps your eyes healthy when coupled with zinc.

5.    It Improves Brain Function

Copper is essential for the health of your brain. It stimulates your brain and improves brain function in return. It is important to mention though that too much of copper can also cause damage to your brain. Therefore, you need to take enough of it to see its benefits. In correct proportions, copper can help improve memory, reaction time, and creative thinking.

6.    It Prevents Signs of Aging

In terms of copper health benefits, it can prevent aging signs in many ways. By preventing graying of hair, it helps keep you look younger. Moreover, it has antioxidant properties, which is why it prevents oxidative damage to skin cells. It means that getting the right proportions of copper can prevent age spots, wrinkles, kidney malfunctions, and macular degeneration. It also lowers your risk of cancer.

7.    It Supports Thyroid Function

By keeping your thyroid glands functioning properly, it ensures that you do not have to deal with any health related problems. Too much or too little of thyroid hormone can cause complications. Copper helps regulate the functioning of your thyroid glands, which in turn prevents symptoms of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.

8.    It Boosts Immune System

Without enough copper in your body, it will become easy to heal wounds. It supports your immune system and makes you less susceptible to developing common infections. It also supports different enzymatic processes in the body, which promote the healing process in the body.

Natural Sources of Copper

Now that you have gathered the fact that copper is essential for your overall health, you may be wondering how to find natural sources to enjoy copper health benefits. Here are some recommendations.

When you want to increase your intake of copper, you should include more of shellfish, organ meals, legumes, nuts, and chocolate in your diet. Here is how much of copper is available in different food sources:

You can also get copper from fruits and veggies, but the amount is generally on the lower side. However, you can find some breakfast cereals and other foods fortified with copper. Taking copper supplements is another good option because it also provides you with essential vitamins and minerals. Still, it is a good idea to get copper from food sources, and move towards supplementations only when you need more. Sometimes, you do not need to take more copper but have to limit your intake of vitamin C and zinc, which can make it difficult for your body to absorb copper and you end up developing a copper deficiency.

How Much Copper to Take

It is important to ensure that you get copper from dietary sources and also maintain a right balance of manganese and zinc in your body. Here is more about how much of copper you should be taking on a daily basis:

It is important to ensure that your children get copper from dietary sources only; they should not be given any copper supplements. Adults over the age of 18 can take a copper supplement, but it is important to maintain a balance of manganese and zinc and avoid health issues.