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Copper is key in burning fat
- glibgil 10y ago> Copper is not something the body can make, so we need to get it through our diet Does the body make any elements?
- cpncrunch 10y ago>Does the body make any elements? That wouldn't be possible unless the body somehow did nuclear fusion or fission.
- adrianN 10y agoWith enough volume you might be able to harness cosmic rays.
- pavel_lishin 10y agoThat reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A2t%C3%A9_de_Foie_Gras_(short_story) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A2t%C3%A9_de_Foie_Gras_(s...
- ChuckMcM 10y agoNo, and I chuckled at wording as well. And I also thought it funny how too much copper unbalanced your zinc levels, which as anyone knows who has made a battery out of a potato, if you don't have copper and zinc you are a pretty lousy battery :-).
- smaddox 10y agoObviously the answer is no, but the average reader likely doesn't know which minerals are elements and which are molecules. The statement seems redundant to you and I, but it is a key fact and likely not obvious to anyone with minimal chemistry/physics training.
- miles 10y ago"The statement seems redundant to you and I" As long as we're on the subject of pedantry, and with your kind leave, may I humbly point out that the above statement should read "The statement seems redundant to you and me"? If in doubt, drop the words "you and" then see how the sentence works: "The statement seems redundant to I" vs "The statement seems redundant to me" http://www.betterwritingskills.com/tip-w026.html http://www.betterwritingskills.com/tip-w026.html
- ClassyJacket 10y agoThere are no hard rules with grammar. Just conventions. If we understood what the person meant, then they succeeded at their goal of communicating.
- roflc0ptic 10y agoThat's true, but the convention for educated English speakers has it that it should be "you and me", or "us". They may have succeeded at communicating facts but they also conveyed some slight ignorance to some subset of people reading it. Definitely wouldn't have taken the time to point it out, though.
- miles 10y agoBy all means! At the same time, there may be something to be said for writing well. I was reminded of this thread: Rare is the leader who can actually write well https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=429298 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=429298 and especially part of a comment by Alex3917[1], quoting 37signals's Getting Real[2]: "If you are trying to decide between a few people to fill a position, always hire the better writer. It doesn't matter if that person is a designer, programmer, marketer, salesperson, or whatever, the writing skills will pay off. Effective, concise writing and editing leads to effective, concise code, design, emails, instant messages, and more." [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=429352 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=429352 [2] http://gettingreal.37signals.com http://gettingreal.37signals.com
- ISL 10y agoIn short, no. Pedantically, though, some radioactive elements decay in your body, so there are nuclei in your body right now that are different from when you ate, touched, or breathed them in. For example, the milligram or two of potassium-40 present in your body will, over a billion years or so, become calcium-40.
- nickjarboe 10y agoWell, half of it will. The half life of potassium-40 is ~1.25 billion years. It decays to calcium-40 about 89% of the time and argon-40 11%. When using potassium-40 decay for dating, the usual method is determining the ratio of K-40 to radiogenic Ar-40 [1]. This is not easy and involves irradiating samples in a nuclear reactor. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argon%E2%80%93argon_dating https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argon%E2%80%93argon_dating
- nine_k 10y agoIt can synthesize many organic compounds, so you don't have to eat every compound the body needs. But yes, nuclear transmutation is nit supported.
- ddxv 10y agoWhile the body cannot make Copper or other Elements, it can build some organic chemical compounds. This process is called anabolism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolism I think where this is confusing on what are considered nutrients. Some nutrients can be built by the body, while others cannot. Essential Nutrients are those that cannot be built by human bodies. The Wikipedia page for Nutrients is pretty accessible and interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient
- eip 10y agohttp://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/cf/406bio_alchemy.pdf http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/cf/406bio_alchemy....
- bsder 10y agoNo. But there are also some more complex molecules that the human body doesn't make either.
- jrapdx3 10y agoSure, quite a few--vitamins, essential amino acids, essential fats are well-known. The body uses these as "raw ingredients" to produce a huge range of necessary compounds.
- Pitarou 10y agoThere was the case of the goose that somehow synthesized gold, and excreted it in its eggs.
- kpil 10y agoI'd say it's more plausible that it drank a lot of ocean water, and acquired the gold that way...
- virtuexru 10y agoGonna start eating pennies for breakfast.
- LyndsySimon 10y agoBetter go with pre-1983 pennies. Pennies minted 1983 to present are 97.5% zinc.
- gumby 10y agoThe article mentions that one risk of taking copper supplements is setting your zinc ratio out of whack. This is a clear example of the government taking positive action on public health.
- epimetheus 10y agoThe reverse is also true, if you take too much Zinc, you'll get deficient in Copper.
- takingflac 10y agoThis is true, that is why I only eat the "skins" of modern pennies if I don't have any old ones. The inside is where all that nasty zinc comes from.
- logfromblammo 10y agoYes, but their surface area is 100% copper. You are likely to pass the penny before digesting all the way through to the zincky center. And 1982 was the year the US penny switched from copper to copper-clad zinc. Some from that year are pure, and others are clad. The pure pennies are heavier. Or you could file a notch in an edge and see if the center reflects whitish or reddish.
- bkmartin 10y agoI wonder if this just ins't a push by the copper industry to build a market before the penny's ultimate demise in the future. Follow the money sheeple! /s
- wspeirs 10y agoAny know the difference between Copper Glycinate and Copper Citrate?
- joecool1029 10y agoLikely higher bioavailability on the glycinate. Realistically shouldn't matter too much unless you have an absorption issue. Albeit, I am not as versed in copper supplements as I am in magnesium supplements.
- liveoneggs 10y agostart eating more liver!
- midgetjones 10y agoBut what about the eggs?
- vram22 10y agoWhy worry? They'll live on the liver. Edit: Great fleas ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_infinitum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_infinitum Double-edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Siphonaptera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Siphonaptera
- mathgeek 10y agoJust not your own liver, or the liver of others. All other liver is fair game! Seriously, though, it's amazing what you can do with liver once you learn how to cook it to your own preference.
- Isamu 10y agoAt last, an argument I can use to justify buying a copper bowl to whip egg whites for desserts. Doesn't have to be a very good argument, just has to succeed.
- sosuke 10y agoI have the same compulsion to buy certain materials for certain tasks in the kitchen. When I was a child I just had to eat beans from a wooden bowl with a wooden spoon because of The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Why copper for eggs?
- ubercore 10y agohttp://www.thekitchn.com/the-science-behind-whipping-egg-whites-in-copper-bowls-221943 http://www.thekitchn.com/the-science-behind-whipping-egg-whi...
- sgift 10y ago"(...) egg whites whipped in a copper bowl stay glossy and firm without as much risk of becoming overwhipped or grainy." Longer version in the link: http://www.thekitchn.com/the-science-behind-whipping-egg-whites-in-copper-bowls-221943 http://www.thekitchn.com/the-science-behind-whipping-egg-whi...
- nanistheonlyist 10y agoSupposedly the copper ions are beneficial in whipping egg whites. It takes less effort to get a good thick foam.
- hourislate 10y agoTuco? Blondie? or Angel Eyes?
- Declanomous 10y agoI think it's one of the other characters. Tuco's brother maybe?
- pacaro 10y agoAnecdote: be careful with metal supplements. A doctor suggested that I try a larger than usual dose of Zinc (with Copper) to see if it would help with my psoriasis. Worst headache of my life, metallic taste in my mouth, felt like death for about 12 hours
- rosbrith 10y agoDespite the unwanted effects, did it make any difference to the psoriasis?
- droopyEyelids 10y agoThe headache and death feeling greatly reduces awareness of psoriasis
- late_groomer 10y agoWe need a like button (not really, but your comment was +1 funny)
- infogulch 10y agoAh, the good old "chop off your leg so your foot will stop hurting" method that my dad would propose when I was a kid.
- pacaro 10y agoI didn't give it a second chance! Most of these things only have an impact over the longer term. Next time I have a blood panel done I'll reconsider supplements
- _coldfire 10y agoTaking large doses of anything is never a good idea, normal doses of zinc over a long period is excellent starting advice for many dermatological conditions. Zinc in general is one of the few supplements shown to actually have benefit for the average human.
- vermontdevil 10y agoFood rich in copper: Cooked Oyster Leafy greens (kale, spinach, etc) Mushrooms Seeds (flax, sesame, etc) Nuts (pistachio, cashew, walnuts, etc) Avocado Liver I'm sure there's more.
- lgats 10y agoNot raw oyesters?
- imgabe 10y agoCooked oysters but not raw ones? Does the cooking impart copper somehow?
- jdmichal 10y agoThere could be bioavailablility issues with raw oysters. I have zero idea of whether or not that is true, but it's certainly possible. It could also just be a general policy to not endorse eating raw shellfish.
- nkrisc 10y agoWild guess on my part, but I suppose it could be possible that cooking the oyster makes more of its copper available for absorption. No idea if that's true, just making up a theory to support the conclusion.
- metamet 10y agoCooking foods actually decreases the bioavailability of a lot of minerals, copper included. Another reason oysters are great is because of their zinc content, which helps ensure your copper-zinc ratio is in balance and you don't overdo it on copper.
- ucaetano 10y agoNow I finally have some good use for that old pile of twisted-pair copper cable sitting at home!
- evo_9 10y agohttps://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-copper-foods.php https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-copper-food...
- erikpukinskis 10y agoYeah, so as usual... Eat kale. Eat beans.
- mod 10y agoAND YOU'LL LIKE IT!
- matwood 10y agoSomeone deleted the kale taste bad post, so I'll put this here: Are you making a joke that kale does not taste good? I cook kale the same way I quick cook collards. Sauté garlic in some olive oil until fragrant, then add kale (torn off the big stems), a cup of water, salt and pepper. Cook down the water while stirring occasionally. It's easy and tasty. Instead of garlic and OO, you can always use a chopped up piece of bacon as the base.
- steanne 10y agowhat kale tastes like to you is not necessarily what kale tastes like to everyone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster#Specific_food_sensitivities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster#Specific_food_sens...
- vram22 10y agoYes. Old story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_gustibus_non_est_disputandum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_gustibus_non_est_disputandu...
- matwood 10y agoI thought this was a given. Not everyone likes the same thing, but many people have simply never tried something or default to green, leafy vegetables taste bad.
- proee 10y agoBeware that TOO much copper is toxic on the body and causes ill effects. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/10/copper-toxicity/ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/10/copper-toxicity/
- farresito 10y agoUnless you suffer from a disease that prevents the absorption of copper, I would be very careful with supplements or copper-heavy diets. I made the mistake of (accidentally) following a diet that had a high copper content and would definitely not recommend having a copper overload. Two years later and I'm far from done from the recovery. Once copper goes up, it's hard to reduce it because it weakens the adrenals and impairs digestion and you end up with a chicken egg situation where you need the adrenals to reduce copper and you can't because you don't have them. Just follow a normal diet. The chances of having low copper levels are small, while the opposite happens more often.
- msandford 10y agoFrom the article: "According to the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, an adult’s estimated average dietary requirement for copper is about 700 micrograms per day. The Food and Nutrition Board also found that only 25 percent of the U.S. population gets enough copper daily." Not to put down your experience or the difficulty of your recovery, but the notion that "copper deficiency is rare" doesn't seem to be supported by the article. Have you got better sources? What are they? Being clinically deficient in something (scurvy, say, for vitamin C) versus mildly deficient are two entirely different things.
- gregable 10y agoLooking at a bottle of Centrum Mens Multivitamins, they list that it includes 900 mcg of copper and that this is only 45% of the recommended daily value (presumably because too much is bad and folks get some in their diet already). However, this also suggests that the recommended daily value is 2000 mcg, rather than the 700 mcg listed in the article.
- tormeh 10y agoHow often are you supposed to take that vitamin?
- JonathonW 10y agoThe FDA's Reference Daily Intake (on which nutrition labeling is based) is 2mg [1]. That number differs from the National Academies number [2] (that's the 700 μg referenced in the article, for non-pregnant, non-lactating adults); why, I don't know. [1] http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocuments... [2] http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRI-Tables/1_%20EARs.pdf?la=en http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity%...
- cryptozeus 10y agoInteresting...100 or more years back, indians would regularly eat and drink from copper dishes & cups http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/ayurveda/why-copper-was-used-by-our-ancestors/ http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/ayurveda/why-copper-was-use...
- jdmichal 10y agoReminds me of the Physician and the Priest: http://www.jhuger.com/the-physician-and-the-priest http://www.jhuger.com/the-physician-and-the-priest
- LordKano 10y agoThis particular story is new to me but when I was in high school, a teacher once presented me with the idea that this is the origin of many if not most cultural/religious taboos. It made perfect sense to me. Don't eat pork. They didn't know about trichinosis but they did notice that people who ate pork got sick and sometimes died. Don't sleep around. They didn't understand what syphilis was but they did notice that people who had lots of indiscriminate sex got sick and sometimes died.
- Shorel 10y agoWasn't syphilis acquired from the Americas? But yeah, there are many other illnesses that can explain sex taboos.
- LordKano 10y agoI don't think it has been definitively proven but it could have been.
- seanp2k2 10y agoThis was also discussed in a sub-thread of this article from 2 days ago if anyone wants to dive a bit deeper into this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13549173 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13549173 I personally find it fascinating when cultural wisdom turns out to have a scientific explanation which reveals the real [lost] truth to that lore.
- chrismealy 10y agoThe catch with the green revolution in agriculture is that many foods have fewer minerals than they used to. Basically plants have been bred to grow fast and have more mass (more carbs than minerals).
- vram22 10y agoLikely, if agro-scientists and farmers focused mainly on the macro nutrients like NPK, which I have seen anecdotal evidence of. Heck, not even humus, maybe, for a long time. Source: some early background in ag (in India).
- willwagner 10y agoJust to support your claim: http://soils.wisc.edu/facstaff/barak/poster_gallery/minneapolis2000a/ http://soils.wisc.edu/facstaff/barak/poster_gallery/minneapo... (The link doesn't mention copper in particular)
- bkmartin 10y agoLess nutritious than before does not mean that the food is not good for you. You say "more carbs than minerals"... I'd argue that plants have ALWAYS been more "carbs" than minerals, otherwise we would be eating rocks. Why put "carbs" in quotes? Because that is a misnomer for the "more mass" argument you make. Plants are made of many different substances that include carbs but also a large amount of fiber. This is highly variable based on the plant. Should we be doing more to promote restorative practices for soil in agriculture? Yes! Are fresh fruits and vegetables not good for you just because their mineral levels are lower than historical numbers? No! Eat colorful foods from people who practice the farming practices that you deem important. The market will force a movement in practices on a larger scale. Eat well :)
- seanp2k2 10y agoIt sounds silly, but if you don't like typical American salads, try picking up some leafy greens from Asian supermarkets. I've found that I'm really into Tong Ho (chrysanthemum coronarium), green onion salad with a bit of soy sauce, Bok Choy with lots of garlic, and raw spinach + arugula....but I can't stand iceberg lettuce or really any vinegar on vegetables like almost all American restaurants have on menus. Because of my tastes, it wasn't until I had an Asian girlfriend with a great cook of a mother that I actually started enjoying veggies. Hopefully this helps at least one other person out there who has had bad taste experiences with salads and doesn't eat enough greens because of it. Whole Foods and other places also have some quite good-tasting protein/smoothie powders which have lots of green content. I've also found that aside from not minding the taste of wheat grass (when mixed with citrus flavors), it makes me feel noticeably "fresh" and "well" for a few hours after ingestion. Try it!
- vram22 10y agoIn India many people use copper vessels (jugs, pots) to store drinking water and then drink it from them. Supposedly for some health benefits. Don't know if there really are any or not. Anecdotally, though, I liked to wear a copper ring, and used to imagine as a kid that it keeps the body cool in summer (due to its high conductivity :) [1] [1] of heat, but must have assumed here that good electrical conductivity implies good heat conductivity, don't think I checked (kid).
- AlphaSite 10y agoCopper kills bacteria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect
- vram22 10y agoThanks, and to the sibling commenter too. Didn't know this.
- LordKano 10y agoAs someone else pointed out, copper kills bacteria. That's a part of why we use it for water pipes. It's also a part of why we use brass for doorknobs.
- millettjon 10y agoChris Masterjohn just releases a podcast on managing copper status. https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-status/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-stat... I haven't listened to this one yet but typically his stuff is top notch.
- dsego 10y agoGreat, unless you have Wilson's.
- LarryMade2 10y agoYeah, I was thinking about that, runs in my family. So far no sign in me but one of my brothers had it pretty bad (got new liver - no a prob anymore)
- khana 10y agoDrink tap water!
- pinaceae 10y agoI use a copper mug for my Moscow Mules, nice. :)
- fosco 10y agoObligatory: https://xkcd.com/1744/ https://xkcd.com/1744/
- oval-atom 10y agoA healthy human body is maintained by thousands of biochemical processes and reactions in equilibrium that have evolved over time. As we age, we expose our body to processes that disrupt the equilibrium of these biochemical processes and reactions. The general term used is inflammation. These inflammatory processes can be what or what we don't eat, our environment, and our physical activity or lack of. And when I say "healthy human body" I am excluding genetic influences. But I would recommend that before taking any supplement because you just feel that it may solve a physiological problem I would do the following first: 1. Take a month and log all that you eat or consume. 2. See your doctor and order a complete blood workup to include all your vitamin and mineral levels. 3. Do some research on the below topics: Antinutrients Anti-inflammatory diets Minerals: http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/minerals.php http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/minerals.php Vitamins: Water and Fat Soluble - http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/vitamins.php http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/vitamins.php Essential Fatty Acids - http://qualitycounts.com/fpfats.htm http://qualitycounts.com/fpfats.htm Equilibrium of biochemical processes can be easily upset by upsetting other biochemical processes. So increasing the concentration of one mineral may adversly affect the concentration of another mineral and just may adversly affect another biochemical process. I take over 80 different supplements (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, etc..). And yes, I have been told I am crazy. While it took me several years to get to this point, I am not alone. And I was kind of surprised when I found this out, because I started this effort doing my own research. It did help since I have a Chemistry degree and took a lot of biochemistry in college. Eventually retired as an EE. Search: Ray Kurzweil - http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2005/9/report_kurzweil/Page-01?p=1 http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2005/9/report_kurzweil... Rick Rosner - http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2015/4/Rick-Rosner/Page-01?p=1 http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2015/4/Rick-Rosner/Page-01?p=1 I don't always agree with some of their points and I don't go to the extreme that they go, it was a pleasant surprise. I have been told, "just eat a balanced diet!". There are several reasons that just does not work for me. 1. For minerals, agricultural processes do not deliberately replenish all minerals in the soil. 2. As we get older, our GI system becomes more inefficient in extracting the minerals and vitamins the body requires. 3. Exposure to environmental sources of inflammation cannot be easily avoided. 4. Without a gallbladder, my digestive system has been compromised. 5. Medications I have to take from time to time also have an effect. And the Super Bowl is around the corner, search on "Tom Brady Diet" Do note, you will find counter info for everything. It is up to you to decide. One thing for sure, get a blood test! Consuming something just because it is over the counter doesn't make it a wise idea.
- lutusp 10y agoThis study suggests that dietary copper may help convert fat to energy. A while ago copper's antiseptic role in hospital environments was revealed and may result in the wholesale replacement of stainless steel with copper and bronze surfaces such as doorknobs and tabletops (stainless steel became ubiquitous in hospitals based on its appearance, resistance to rust, and ease of cleaning). It's my hope that these new findings didn't result from a sneaky plot by a mining conglomerate to increase demand for copper.
- _coldfire 10y agoMillions of tonnes of copper are mined every year. Dietary copper is on the scale of micrograms. Your conspiracy has a problem of many magnitudes.
- lutusp 10y ago> Millions of tonnes of copper are mined every year. Dietary copper is on the scale of micrograms. Imagine every stainless steel surface in every hospital being replaced with copper or bronze (which seems likely over time). Imagine that this subsequently becomes fashionable in private homes for the same reason. I have a yacht and its anti-fouling paint has a high percentage of copper, for the same reason that copper seems effective in a hospital operating theater (it's pretty toxic). Imagine that a copper mine operator wants more public acceptance for copper as an everyday material. Both these recent developments produce that outcome, even given the fact that dietary copper is in reality a microscopic volume of the material. For the latter, the effect is more psychological than practical. I emphasize that I'm not taking this hidden-agenda idea seriously, it's just something to think about.
- mathgeek 10y agoI feel like the price of copper, due to demand from other industries, would be a huge deterrent to widespread use in hospitals. Is that not a major issue?
- lutusp 10y agoSee the table on this page: http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Matter/Costs.html http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Matter/Costs.html In one of the tables the cost for bronze (more durable than pure copper but having similar antiseptic properties) is listed as 19.5 versus 10.9 for stainless steel, same units. So bronze costs almost twice as much as stainless, not a ruinous increase given its antiseptic properties. One could seek an alloy form that would balance a material's antiseptic property versus cost, a project that hasn't yet begun.