33 replies to this topic

[niner]

Copper is absolutely on my 'toxic crap to be avoided' list. Liver and mollusks have massive quantities, but it's also in soy products, sesame seeds, cocoa/chocolate, and various nuts and beans in non-trivial amounts. It is very common to find copper plumbing in American homes, institutions and businesses, and yes, it leaches into the water. Unless your dietary and living situations are pretty unusual, I think supplementing copper is a distinctly bad idea. Even if you take zinc, unless you're going nuts with it.

Odd. The vilification of an essential mineral. "Essential" meaning that we must have some intake of it or we will die.

Copper, like iron has a narrow safety range. There is an intake range where it provides important health-supporting effects, such as its role in copper-zinc super-oxide dismutase and a range where there is too little - deficiency - and a range where there is too much, resulting in toxicity.

Rather than say that nutrients that have narrow safety ranges, such as copper, iron and vitamin A are toxic or to be completely avoided, isn't it more accurate to identify copper's safety range?

Certainly, if one is deficient in copper, one is more likely to lose hair, or experience premature graying of hair, suffer immune dysfunction, skin problems, arryhthmia and a host of other health problems.

I guess I wasn't clear there. The problem is that we are awash in copper. It's hard to avoid, even if you want to. Obviously it's an essential mineral, and like all essential minerals, there is an amount that is "too much". With copper, that amount is pretty low. I'm advocating that people don't run down to GNC and buy a bottle of copper. Many people will look at the symptoms of deficiency, see some things they'd like to avoid, and will supplement copper on that basis. Some of them will shorten their lives or speed the onset of Alzheimers in the process. Everything that is a symptom of copper deficiency can be caused by numerous other factors, and almost always is. Copper deficiency is rare.

Edit: I should add that even if one were able to concoct a bizarre enough diet to consume zero copper for a few weeks, they wouldn't have a problem, because we store copper, safely bound in a protein (ceruloplasmin) in our bodies. Therefore it is really not necessary to consume it on a daily basis.

Edited by niner, 31 March 2014 - 02:49 AM.

[Dorian Grey]

The subject of micro-minerals is fascinating, and I've learned a lot from the acu-cell site. It seems it's nearly impossible to "not" get enough of any of the micro's from dietary sources, but quite easy to get too much of a given micro that seems to throw delicate balances out of whack.

There's a whole science to measuring micro-minerals through hair analysis, trying to get the perfect balance. It seems as we age, some micro's typically accumulate, along with undesirable heavy metals, and lowering these undesirables can be as important (if not more-so) as supplementing the desirable ones.

This is what seems to be the beauty of IP6. Chelate excess micro's and undesirable heavy metals, and diet will quickly restore any transient deficiencies at more stable and balanced (youthful) levels. I always cycle IP6, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, for a month; then take a month off. Haven't had any hair analysis done, but have been feeling great on this protocol.

Edited by synesthesia, 31 March 2014 - 04:02 AM.

[mikey]

Copper is absolutely on my 'toxic crap to be avoided' list. Liver and mollusks have massive quantities, but it's also in soy products, sesame seeds, cocoa/chocolate, and various nuts and beans in non-trivial amounts. It is very common to find copper plumbing in American homes, institutions and businesses, and yes, it leaches into the water. Unless your dietary and living situations are pretty unusual, I think supplementing copper is a distinctly bad idea. Even if you take zinc, unless you're going nuts with it.

Odd. The vilification of an essential mineral. "Essential" meaning that we must have some intake of it or we will die.

Copper, like iron has a narrow safety range. There is an intake range where it provides important health-supporting effects, such as its role in copper-zinc super-oxide dismutase and a range where there is too little - deficiency - and a range where there is too much, resulting in toxicity.

Rather than say that nutrients that have narrow safety ranges, such as copper, iron and vitamin A are toxic or to be completely avoided, isn't it more accurate to identify copper's safety range?

Certainly, if one is deficient in copper, one is more likely to lose hair, or experience premature graying of hair, suffer immune dysfunction, skin problems, arryhthmia and a host of other health problems.

I guess I wasn't clear there. The problem is that we are awash in copper. It's hard to avoid, even if you want to. Obviously it's an essential mineral, and like all essential minerals, there is an amount that is "too much". With copper, that amount is pretty low. I'm advocating that people don't run down to GNC and buy a bottle of copper. Many people will look at the symptoms of deficiency, see some things they'd like to avoid, and will supplement copper on that basis. Some of them will shorten their lives or speed the onset of Alzheimers in the process. Everything that is a symptom of copper deficiency can be caused by numerous other factors, and almost always is. Copper deficiency is rare.

Edit: I should add that even if one were able to concoct a bizarre enough diet to consume zero copper for a few weeks, they wouldn't have a problem, because we store copper, safely bound in a protein (ceruloplasmin) in our bodies. Therefore it is really not necessary to consume it on a daily basis.

There is a study of adult men that showed that copper-zinc SOD production was greatly inhibited at when men took supplemental doses above 25 mg of zinc per day when there was no copper intake.

If one is taking a supplement with 30 mg of zinc, which is somewhat common, it would seem imprudent not to take copper to balance the zinc.

It seems best to get tested to see how much copper is in the body.

Does anyone know the most accurate copper test? Hair analysis, RBC,???

[mikey]

The subject of micro-minerals is fascinating, and I've learned a lot from the acu-cell site. It seems it's nearly impossible to "not" get enough of any of the micro's from dietary sources, but quite easy to get too much of a given micro that seems to throw delicate balances out of whack.

There's a whole science to measuring micro-minerals through hair analysis, trying to get the perfect balance. It seems as we age, some micro's typically accumulate, along with undesirable heavy metals, and lowering these undesirables can be as important (if not more-so) as supplementing the desirable ones.

This is what seems to be the beauty of IP6. Chelate excess micro's and undesirable heavy metals, and diet will quickly restore any transient deficiencies at more stable and balanced (youthful) levels. I always cycle IP6, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, for a month; then take a month off. Haven't had any hair analysis done, but have been feeling great on this protocol.

Does anyone know a "best" hair analysis company for checking copper, etc...?