Copper is an essential micronutrient for human health. It has an important impact on the development and function of the blood, central nervous system and immune system, hair, skin and bone tissue, as well as the brain, liver and heart. Copper is mainly taken from daily diet. The World Health Organization recommends that in order to maintain health, adults should consume 0.03 mg of copper per kilogram of body weight per day. Pregnant women and infants should double this. Copper deficiency can cause various diseases, which can be supplemented by taking copper supplements and pills.

What are the hazards of copper deficiency in the human body?

Hazard 1: Copper is a component of many important enzyme systems in the body, which can promote the absorption and utilization of iron and maintain the function of the central nervous system. Therefore, copper deficiency will indirectly cause anemia, increase the fragility of various blood vessels and bones in the human body, atrophy of brain tissue, affect intelligence, physical development, and the function of the endocrine and nervous systems, and may also cause melanin loss diseases such as vitiligo and premature graying of hair.

Hazard 2: Children with copper deficiency are manifested as systemic malnutrition, long-term diarrhea, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, developmental delay, pale skin, hair turning from black to yellow and easy to break, hypochromic anemia, and iron treatment is ineffective. Some children also have rashes, superficial venous dilatation, slow visual response, low muscle tension, osteoporosis, etc.

Hazard 3: There is also a disease called "wire-like hair syndrome", which is rare, but it is caused by congenital copper metabolism defects. The main manifestations are hard and curly hair, light color and easy to break, pale complexion, affected brain development, and mental retardation.

Others: Copper deficiency can also cause low blood iron, low blood copper, and low serum protein syndrome, referred to as "three low syndrome", and the name of the disease accurately reflects the diagnostic basis of the clinical examination of the disease. Symptoms include hypochromic anemia, pale complexion, edema, hepatosplenomegaly, irritability, and stagnation of growth and development. The cause of the disease is still unclear. It may be caused by severe iron deficiency interfering with copper absorption and utilization or increasing copper excretion. The treatment of this disease should adopt comprehensive therapy. Iron and copper preparations can be supplemented at the same time as blood transfusion to strengthen nutrition in a comprehensive and balanced manner.

In addition, copper deficiency can also promote the occurrence of diseases such as myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. It can be seen that the impact of copper on human health cannot be ignored.

So how to supplement copper, and what precautions should be taken?

First of all, it is recommended to supplement from food, that is, supplement from daily food, and do not use medicine easily. According to nutritionists' testing, pig liver ranks first among all copper-containing foods, with 25 mg of copper per kilogram, followed by sesame (16.8 mg of copper per kilogram), and the rest are: spinach (13.5 mg of copper per kilogram), soybeans (13 mg of copper per kilogram), taro (12.9 mg of copper per kilogram), black beans (10.8 mg of copper per kilogram), lentils (10.1 mg of copper per kilogram). In addition, radish leaves, pumpkin, cabbage, celery, wheat, millet, etc. also have a certain content, which can be used as a reference when arranging recipes.

Secondly, pay attention to the "mutual restraint" effect between certain foods. Copper will reduce the absorption rate of copper when it meets foods with high zinc content such as lean meat and oysters. In addition, eating copper-containing foods with foods rich in vitamin C such as tomatoes, citrus, and fresh dates will inhibit the release of copper in the food. It is best to eat the two types of food at different times to avoid mutual interference and "both sides will suffer". It should also be pointed out that copper supplementation is not "the more soldiers, the better". Long-term excessive copper intake will bring new health problems to people, such as reducing the body's absorption of trace elements such as iron and zinc, inducing iron deficiency or zinc deficiency, and may even cause poisoning, damage the liver, and lead to liver damage, cerebellar dysfunction, etc. Therefore, whether copper supplementation is needed and how to supplement it must be done in the hospital according to the doctor's advice.