|
ENVIRONMENT |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Copper is important for our life and our health. Copper is absolutely essential for growth · immune system · iron transport ·maturity of blood cells · brain development · heart function · enzyme system ·bone structure · cholesterol and glucose metabolism. Copper is not stored in the body and has to be absorbed with food. Copper belongs to the relatively small group of essential me-tallic elements. Like vital amino acids, essential fatty acids and vitamins, these are important for the human metabolism. However, the body is unable to produce these substances it-self, which means that they must be taken regularly via the food we eat. As copper cannot be stored in the human body, but is constantly excreted, humans must ensure to get a sufficient quantity in daily diet (2.5 to 5 mg each day). The same applies to all living creatures, though the required quantity varies from species to species. An adult’s body contains between 1.4 and 2.1 mg copper per kilogram of body weight. In children, this value is three times as high because the metabolism-related requirements are considerably higher. Copper is used in various therapies, e.g. for skin diseases, as an antidote against phosphorous poisoning, to alleviate gout and for bacterial infections.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
back