copper is a micronutriente essential for human life and for other living beings. It is naturally present in many foods, although there are other ways of ingesting it, such as through its use in organic pesticides and conventional, feed and food additives, and as a nutrient in fortified foods and food supplements. However, both its excess intake and its shortage can cause serious health problems.
How much copper can we safely ingest?
In this sense, the retention excessive copper in the body, it could become toxic for humans, especially for our liver. For this reason, the Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, for its acronym in English) has concluded, in a study published last week, that such retention is not expected to occur with an intake less than 5 mg per day and has established a safe daily intake of 0.07 milligrams per kilogram of body weight for the adult population.
For the first time with this substance, EFSA experts have estimated the exposure to copper of all dietary sources and not dietary. “The natural levels of copper in food and food ingredients and the long-term use of copper utensils and pipes contribute significantly to its intake,” they explain from the committee. However, “the contribution of pesticides, food additives and feed or fertilizers is negligible,” they clarify.
On the other hand, regarding the copper content in baby formula and in follow-on formulas, the EFSA ensures that these foods contribute significantly to dietary exposure to copper in infants and young children, although “adverse effects are not expected due to the increased nutrient requirements for their growth,” they confess in the report. study.
What diseases does excess copper cause in the body?
Intake of excessive levels of this nutrient on a regular basis can cause health problems such as: liver injury, abdominal pain, cramps, nausea, diarrhea y vomiting.
Although the poisoning by copper is rare, it can occur if copper-containing water pipes leach it into drinking water. Likewise, this type of poisoning can occur in people who suffer from the wilson’s diseasea rare genetic disorder that causes the pathological accumulation of copper in various organs and tissues, especially in the liver and in the brain.
liver injury
Abdominal pain
cramps
nausea
diarrhea
vomiting
On the other hand, studies that analyze the effect of copper intake on heart disease have had mixed results. More research is needed to understand whether excessive copper intake might increase or decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Also, some research shows that people with high blood copper levels have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer. However, there are several investigations that assure the opposite, so more studies are needed to determine if high or low copper concentrations can affect the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.