Safe Dosages Of Copper For Humans

Copper was first discovered in 1870 as a normal component of blood and an essential trace mineral present in all body tissues. Although you don't need much, copper is the third most abundant trace mineral in your body and considered important for various health functions. Since getting too much copper from diet and supplements can be toxic, check with your doctor before adding copper to your diet.

Identification

Copper is a trace element used by all the cells in your body for their metabolic functions. Copper is also used by enzymes responsible for respiration, iron metabolism, brain neurotransmitters and clotting. Copper is found in foods such as liver, shell fish, beans, nuts and whole grains. You can also get copper from drinking water from copper pipes, using copper cookware or consuming produce sprayed with copper-containing chemicals. Copper levels may be reduced in foods with a high acid content like tomatoes and those stored in tin cans.

Recommended Daily Allowance

According to the Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board, the average dietary intake of copper in the United States is approximately 1,000 to 1,100 mcg per day for women and 1,200 to 1,600 mcg per day for men, which is slightly above the recommended daily allowance of 900 mcg per day for both men and women. Infants and children will require less copper, and pregnant and breastfeeding women more.

Deficiency

Copper deficiencies are rare and most often found in infants who are fed only cow's milk, are premature or have prolonged diarrhea, or in adults with malabsorption conditions such as celiac disease, sprue or a surgical removal of intestinal portions. Some cystic fibrosis patients can also suffer from a lack of copper in their bodies, as can people who have the copper-deficiency disorder Menkes disease. Lack of copper may eventually lead to anemia and osteoporosis.

Toxicity

Very few people consume high enough levels of copper to be toxic, although a few cases have occurred in contaminated beverages stored in copper containers or in contaminated water supplies. Symptoms of acute copper poisoning include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, with complications leading to liver damage, kidney failure, coma and death. Although it has been suggested that chronic consumption of mildly-elevated copper levels may be linked to liver disease, doses of up to 10,000 mcg per day haven't been a problem in healthy people.

Expert Insight

Research published in January 2011 in the "Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology" raised the question of whether copper deficiency may be more widespread than previously thought. Due to results from studies on humans and non-human primates, the researchers recommended the upper safe limits for copper should be reevaluated and possibly increased.