Fortify yourself with copper

Standing on a high pedestal with iron and zinc, and forming a metal-trio essential to our body, is copper. This micronutrient is vital for our overall well-being and much needed by every cell in our body.

Copper plays a pivotal role in growth and development, bone health, maintaining a healthy heart, brain and other organs and also in preserving the connective tissue. By teaming up with iron, copper helps in producing red blood cells.

In conjunction with various proteins and metalloenzymes, copper plays a significant role in metabolic functions. In the presence of these proteins, copper produces enzymes which act as a catalyst for the biochemical reactions during metabolism.

Copper also transforms melanin in the skin for pigmentation. Collagen and elastin present in tissues benefit from copper in repairing the connective tissue. Anti-inflammatory properties of copper help in the treatment of arthritis.

Apart from these roles, copper also has water-purifying properties. Ayurvedic practitioners discovered the anti-bacterial quality of copper and encouraged eating in copper plates and drinking water from copper pots. Studies have shown that when microbially-unsafe water is kept in a copper pot, the disease causing bacteria gets killed, making the water potable. Water purifiers strip-off essential minerals in the water. To counteract this loss, we may benefit from reviving the practice of drinking water stored in copper pots.

We only need less than a gram of this essential metal to help various organs in the body work at optimal levels. However, our body is not capable of synthesising copper and hence the metal can be ingested directly from food sources.

While green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, potatoes and nuts are some good sources of copper for vegetarians, non-vegetarians must consume organ meats like liver and shell fish like oysters to get a dose of the metal.