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Copper
Helps Fight Infection
Research
continues to demonstrate the benefits of adequate
copper intake. The daily value (DV) of copper is 2
mg. The average man, however, gets only 1.27 mg. daily
in the diet and the average woman gets even less,
0.96 mg.
Studies
indicate that even a marginal copper deficiency can
have a significant effect on immune system function,
and research from the Human Nutrition Research Center
also indicates that a low copper diet significantly
increases the risk of colon cancer.
Colon
cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths
in the United States and has risen to the fourth leading
cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Studies indicate
that dropping below in daily copper intake significantly
increases pre-cancerous lesions in the colon.
For
the immune system, copper is a strong stimulant of
white blood cells that are converted into important
components that fight infection and disease. Various
specialized immune components, such as lymphocytes
and phagocytes, are extremely effective at combating
foreign invaders of the body such as germs and viruses.
Most
of our population currently has a marginal deficiency
in copper intake based on the values noted earlier.
Part of the reason for this is that some of the highest
sources of copper-containing foods are no-nos. For
instance, among the highest rated sources of copper
are oysters, which I do not recommend. Other fish
(such as squid) and shellfish (such as lobster) are
also restricted. The Bible includes these as unclean
in Leviticus 11.
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