The Case For Copper Water Bottles

           

Getting yourself a copper water bottle is an inexpensive way bolster your health.  Drinking water from copper vessels has an amazing array of benefits, it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries.  According to Ayurveda, copper balances all three “doshas”, the vata, kapha and pitta.  Copper is an essential mineral, functioning as an antioxidant, aiding metabolism, stimulates cell growth, and it is vital to many bodily processes.  A deficiency in copper could result in anemia, cardiovascular and neurologic disorders, irregular bone development and low white blood cell count.

            According to an article from NCBI, a study by Sudha et al, proved that storing water in copper kills pathogens and raises the alkalinity of water. “When drinking-water (pH 7.83±0.4; source: ground) was contaminated with 500 CFU/mL of the above bacteria and stored in copper pots for 16 hours at room temperature, no bacteria could be recovered on the culture medium. Recovery failed even after resuscitation in enrichment broth, followed by plating on selective media, indicating loss of culturability. This is the first report on the effect of copper on S. flexneri 2a, enteropathogenic E. coli, and Salmonella Paratyphi. After 16 hours, there was a slight increase in the pH of water from 7.83 to 7.93 in the copper pots while the other physicochemical parameters remained unchanged. Copper content (177±16 ppb) in water stored in copper pots was well within the permissible limits of the World Health Organization.”(7)

            According to the Linus Pauling Institute, “Copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for humans and animals. In the body, copper shifts between the cuprous (Cu¹⁺) and cupric (Cu²⁺) forms, though the majority of the body's copper is in the Cu²⁺ form. The ability of copper to easily accept and donate electrons explains its important role in oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions and in scavenging free radicals (1). Although Hippocrates is said to have prescribed copper compounds to treat diseases as early as 400 B.C. (2), scientists are still uncovering new information regarding the functions of copper in the human body.” (1).

            A copper enzyme is crucial to cellular energy production -the mitochondria uses it to create ATP. (2)  ATP, or adenosine triphosphate provides energy to drive cell processes.  Copper stimulates the production of collagen and elastin (think anti-aging!) and is essential for the formation of strong and flexible connective tissue.(3)  Copper also regulates iron in your bloodstream.  Did you know that anemia is a clinical sign of copper deficiency? One of the most common clinical signs of copper deficiency is an anemia that is unresponsive to iron therapy but corrected by copper supplementation.(5)
   
Copper is essential to the health and functionality of our brain and nervous system, as well.(4)   Copper is critical for the formation of melanin, the pigment found in our hair, eyes and skin!  Perhaps a remedy for graying hair?

            Studies have also found that copper prevents cardiovascular disease, stimulates the immune system (specifically white blood cell count), supports bone density and prevent osteoporosis.  The RDA of copper by the Linus Pauling Institute is 900ug/day.  Food sources are organ meats, shellfish, nuts, seeds mollusks, oysters, clams, lentils, mushrooms and chocolate (yay!).(6)

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If the font size, color and type are different - this happens when I transfer the article to blogger, not sure why it happens, but it was not created that way.  So forgive the craziness, and focus on the information!! As always, this article is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended as medical advice!!! 

1.    Prohaska JR. Copper. In: Erdman JW, Macdonald IA, Zeisel SH, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 10th ed. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012:540-553.          

2.    Uauy R, Olivares M, Gonzalez M. Essentiality of copper in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998;67(5 Suppl):952S-959S.  (PubMed)

3.    Prohaska JR. Copper. In: Erdman JW, Macdonald IA, Zeisel SH, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 10th ed. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012:540-553.

4.    Turnlund JR. Copper. In: Shils ME, Shike M, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006:286-299

5.    Harris ZL, Klomp LW, Gitlin JD. Aceruloplasminemia: an inherited neurodegenerative disease with impairment of iron homeostasis. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998;67(5 Suppl):972S-977S.  (PubMed)

6.    Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Copper. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 2001:224-257.  (National Academy Press)

7.    V.B. Preethi Sudha,¹ Sheeba Ganesan,¹ G.P. Pazhani,² T. Ramamurthy,² G.B. Nair,² and Padma Venkatasubramania, Storing Drinking-water in Copper pots Kills Contaminating Diarrhoeagenic Bacteria, J Health Popul Nutr. 2012 Mar; 30(1): 17–21.