Copper

This test measures the level of copper in blood.

Copper causes iron to be fixed in hemoglobin, the red pigment in our blood, and thus plays a role in oxygen transport in the body. Copper is also involved in the pigmentation of skin and hair and in connective tissue and bone formation. Copper is also important for good immunity and contributes to our body's energy supply.

According to Dr. Grabowski, many cases of alleged anemia due to iron deficiency are actually due to copper deficiency. Like iron, copper is involved in the formation of hemoglobin. Be aware of low copper levels in anemia which additional iron will not solve. Copper deficiency presents exactly like iron deficiency and you never know the difference unless you test for it.

What is it in?

Copper is found mainly in organ meats, marine fish, seafood, nuts and grain products. Furthermore, fruits and vegetables and cocoa products are sources of copper. The recommended daily amount for adults (22-50 years) is set by the Health Council at 1.5 - 3.5 mg. Pregnant women need extra copper because about 16 mg of copper is sequestered in the placenta and fetus during pregnancy. Breastfeeding women also need more copper to compensate for the amount of copper that leaves the body with the breast milk.

Copper absorption is inhibited by zinc and by a vitamin C intake of at least 1500 milligrams per day. This corresponds to about 25 oranges.
According to the Health Council, the maximum safe dose for adults is 5 milligrams of copper/day. This corresponds to 550 grams of cooked brown rice. The safe dose is an average value, with a wide margin. This means that exceeding the maximum safe dose once or for a short period of time is not an immediate danger.

What are the consequences of too much copper?

An excess of copper is usually caused by contamination of food and/or drinks. Symptoms that occur are an excess of saliva, pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms commonly seen with copper deficiency are anemia, impairment of the immune system and bone abnormalities, such as osteoporosis.

This test is requested by doctors when a person has symptoms that seem to fit Wilson's disease, Menkes syndrome, copper stacking, copper poisoning or copper deficiency. These symptoms often include anemia, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, jaundice, and problems with walking and swallowing. Also when there are problems with copper metabolism in the family, this can be a reason to request copper.

Copper is a mineral that is essential to the body. It is built into enzymes by the body. These enzymes play an important role in all kinds of processes in the body, for example in the production of energy and the functioning of the brain. Copper is absorbed through food (e.g. nuts, chocolate, mushrooms, shellfish and grains). Water may also contain copper if the water pipes are made of copper or is cooked in copper pans.

The copper is absorbed by the intestine and transported to the liver. In the liver, the copper is stored or bound to the protein ceruloplasmin, to which it is transported in the blood. Copper is excreted through the stool and a small amount leaves the body through the urine.

Wilson's disease is an inherited disease in which too little of the protein ceruloplasmin is made in the liver. Ceruloplasmin is a binding protein for copper. Due to a lack of the protein, copper accumulates in the liver, brain, kidneys and the cornea of the eye. The amount of copper in the blood is reduced. The excretion of copper in the bile is reduced, the excretion of copper with the urine is increased.

Menkes syndrome (kinky hair syndrome) is an inherited disease that occurs mainly in boys. In this disease, the intestine absorbs copper from food, but then does not release it to the rest of the body. As a result, there is a surplus of copper in the intestine and a deficiency in the rest of the body.

The complaints from a copper spiral

The complaints from a copper spiral are individual and a copper allergy is directly noticeable but we
can
not measure
it
. There are no measurements to relate complaints one on one to the copper spiral.