The first evidence for the essential role copper plays in the human body was obtained in 1928. When rats were kept on an iron-free milk diet, they developed severe anemia. Surprisingly, iron supplementation alone couldn’t reverse this condition. It turned out that not only iron, but also copper deficiency, contributed to the observed symptoms of anemia. Since then, copper/iron supplements have been used to correct anemia in malnourished infants (Hart et al 2002).
When pregnant rats were kept on a marginally copper-deficient diet, their offspring had behavioral problems, due to copper deficiency in the brain (Prohaska & Hoffman 1996). The majority of the data on the symptoms of severe copper deficiency came from animal studies, studies in malnourished children, or studies on the rare genetic abnormalities such as Wilson’s disease or Menkes syndrome. The main sign of severe copper deficiency in animals and humans is anemia that is unresponsive to iron therapy and is accompanied by severe abnormalities in bone marrow. Other symptoms include low white cell count in blood, increased low weight in infants, bone abnormalities (fractures of long bones and ribs, osteoporosis, spur formation, formation of bone tissue outside of
The Pickart book on the GHK peptide includes this interesting information on copper, which is required for the GHK peptide to exhibit it extraordinary rejuvenating effects on human skin. The following information includes dosage information.
ThE ESSENTialS OF NuTriTiONal COppEr
Your Body’s Protective and Anti-Aging Metal n the 1930’s, farmers in Western Australia were puzzled, observing a strange affliction in newborn lambs—they would lose their coordination, had difficulty standing, and subsequently died. Later, it was determined that the condition (swayback) was caused by copper deficiency. Australian soil is low on copper. Native wildlife adapted to this condition, but sheep, while grazing on copper-deficient grass did not receive sufficient copper for the lambs to develop normal nervous systems and brains. Sheep are different from humans, however, copper is just as essential for our bodies. If you look at the list of ingredients of some of the high potency multivitamins, especially those designed for elderly people, pregnant women or for sport nutrition, you will find that they contain copper along with zinc and magnesium.
Many people ask, is there any difference in the effects of nutritional copper and GHK-Cu? GHK and other copper peptides need copper 2+ to be most active. In some studies, GHK alone is active, but GHK can gain copper from easily available copper 2+ (not tightly bound in proteins) in the human body. This is about 10% of the total copper in the blood serum and mainly bound to the protein albumin. There is a chemical called bathocuproine that strongly binds copper 2+, and it totally abolishes GHK’s effects. Also, studies of skin keratinocytes found that using copper 2+ (greater than 1.3 micromolar) in the growth medium will not promote the changes needed (more beta 1 integrin, protein p63, and proliferating nuclear cell antigen) for stem cell production, but the addition of 1 micromolar GHK activates the entire process (Choi et al 2012).
upTaKE OF COppEr FrOM COppEr pEpTidES
Copper is an essential micronutrient, which means that even though we need very little of it, our body cannot function properly without it. Numerous safety studies in animals have failed to find a rise in blood copper levels after six months of application of copper peptides to the skin of rats and rabbits. There were no negative effects observed in the animals. Use GHK-Cu and other skin regenerating copper peptides to stimulate skin renewal and to obtain other beneficial effects. But you still should provide your body with additional copper from foodsor supplements.
How Much Copper Do You Need?
The US Food and Nutrition Board gives the estimated amount of a nutrient per day considered necessary for the maintenance of
good health. This is commonly called the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) and has been set at 0.9 mg per day of copper for adults. But keep in mind that these are the same people who recommended the now discredited .....
It is difficult to understand the currently recommended RDA of copper. For example, in 1985 a human study by the US Department of Agriculture found that men “consuming a typical American diet containing either fructose or starch”, but low in copper, could not maintain health on a diet with 1.03 mgs of copper daily. Twenty-four men started on the study, but within 6 weeks, four men experienced serious heart issues ranging from heart arrhythmias to myocardial infarction, and the study was stopped (Reiser et al 1985). In experimental settings, researchers gave healthy volunteers 4-8 mg of copper a day for 1 to 3 months without any adverse effects. Even this high dosage didn’t change the plasma concentration (Harvey et al 2003, Turnlund et al 2005).
In a multicenter European study performed in 2000, researchers investigated the effect of extra copper on oxidative processes in the blood cells of middle aged people. Again, even 7 mg per day of copper taken during the 6-week period did not produce any side-effects. Moreover, it improved anti-oxidant defense (Rock et al 2000). Chambers et al studied the effects of copper deficiency and excess. This study came to the conclusion that to prevent copper deficiency, 2.6 mg of copper is needed per day. But keep in mind, this 2.6 is the minimal amount of copper, not the optimal amount (Chambers et al 2010). What is most obvious is that the US Government advisers do not read the scientific literature.
Actual human studies find that 4 to 6 mg of copper appears to the healthiest. Many scientists who study copper and its health benefits take 4 mg daily. Studies in humans have found that daily supplemental copper, ranging from 4 to 7 mg, promotes positive actions, such as reducing damaging cellular oxidation, lowering LDL levels, and increasing HDL levels. Such high intakes may reduce the risk of some degenerative diseases, but do not exceed 10 mgs per day (but even this number has no science behind it).
My best guess is that we need a copper-to-zinc ratio of about 4 to 1, perhaps 16 mgs zinc and 4 mgs copper. Too much zinc drives copper out of the body (Reiser et al 1985). The richest sources of copper are red wine, chocolate, cocoa, legumes, nuts (especially Brazilian nuts), seaweed, oysters and other shellfish, fish, liver and organ meats, well water in certain regions (depending on copper content in soil) or soft, acidic water that has passed through copper pipes.
Or you can take 2 to 4 mgs of copper daily with a supplement such as copper glycinate.
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COppEr dEFiCiENCY aNd diSEaSES
Copper deficiency can contribute to a host of major health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysms, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, chronic conditions involving bone and connective tissue, brain defects in newborns, obesity, graying of hair, sensitivity to pain, Alzheimer’s disease, reproductive problems, depression, and fatigue; reduction in the pleasure-producing brain enkephalins, and impaired brain function (Pickart et al 2017). The first evidence for the essential role copper plays in the human body was obtained in 1928. When rats were kept on an iron-free milk diet, they developed severe anemia. Surprisingly, iron supplementation alone couldn’t reverse this condition. It turned out that not only iron, but also copper deficiency, contributed to the observed symptoms of anemia. Since then, copper/iron supplements have been used to correct anemia in malnourished infants (Hart et al 2002). When pregnant rats were kept on a marginally copper-deficient diet, their offspring had behavioral problems, due to copper deficiency in the brain (Prohaska & Hoffman 1996). The majority of the data on the symptoms of severe copper deficiency came from animal studies, studies in malnourished children, or studies on the rare genetic abnormalities such as Wilson’s disease or Menkes syndrome. The main sign of severe copper deficiency in animals and humans is anemia that is unresponsive to iron therapy and is accompanied by severe abnormalities in bone marrow. Other symptoms include low white cell count in blood, increased low weight in infants, bone abnormalities (fractures of long bones and ribs, osteoporosis, spur formation, formation of bone tissue outside of
bones), impaired collagen synthesis, impaired melanin synthesis, hypotonia, and heart problems (including heart failure) (Elsherif et al 2003, Cartwright & Wintrobe 1964). These symptoms coincide with low levels of copper in plasma and are reversed by copper supplementation (Uauy et al 1998). Another factor that can lower copper is the high consumption of fructose, sucrose, and other refined sugars (Klevay 2010). If you regularly consume foods high in sugar, you may need more copper in your diet. The popularity of bariatric surgery as a fast means to eliminate obesity also puts many people at risk of copper deficiency, since it lowers copper absorption in the intestine (Ernst et al 2009). But even more marginal copper deficiency often has health damaging
Pickart PhD, Loren. GHK Copper Peptides: for Skin and Hair Beauty (p. 231). Cape San Juan Press. Kindle Edition.