Is Copper Essential for Pregnant Women?

Dear Doctor Ettinger,

I am trying to get pregnant and I am researching what nutrients my body will need extra amounts of.  I have done pretty well with my research so far but I have one last question regarding copper.  Is copper essential for pregnant women?

Thank you in advance,

Rachel Tomkins

Rachel,

Copper is an important trace mineral and is found in every tissue of the body.  Copper is especially high in the liver, heart, kidney and brain.  Copper is essential for the proper development (new cell formation) and maintenance of the heart, arteries and blood vessels; the skeletal and nervous systems.  Also, copper is used in the body to prevent anemia by controlling the storage and release of iron to form hemoglobin and healthy blood.  In addition, it is essential for energy production.

My recommendation is to not take additional copper (nutritional supplements) but rather eat copper rich foods.  Below is a list of foods that are great sources of the trace mineral copper.

Foods that possess high levels of copper are: Brazil nuts, cocoa, oysters, beef or lamb liver, blackstrap molasses, and black pepper. Foods that possess moderate levels include: avocados, nuts and sunflower seeds, lobster, green olives, and wheat bran.

Below is a write-up I like on copper and how it relates to pregnancy.  Good luck and let me know if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Copper is the Rodney Dangerfield of trace minerals – it gets no respect. For example, iron and calcium are touted as essential minerals during pregnancy, but researchers at the University of California, Davis state that copper is another mineral essential for normal pregnancy outcome. Copper deficiency during pregnancy results in numerous gross structural and biochemical abnormalities that affect free-radical defenses, connective tissue metabolism, and energy production in fetal tissues. Even marginal copper deficiency might contribute to the more than 50% of human conceptions that fail to implant, the 30% that implant but fail to reach term, and the 3% of births with serious congenital malformations.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998;67:1003-1011/1012-1016.

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Cymbalta is not an effective treatment for fibromyalgia

Salynn Boyles, WebMD Health News, reported today that a new research analysis shows certain antidepressants, like Cymbalta from Eli Lilly, can be effective treatments for fibromyalgia, but it is not clear if they are good choices for long-term use.

To this day fibromyalgia remains a poorly understood and hard-to-treat disorder (ONLY by traditional allopathic physicians – MD’s), characterized by widespread pain with no clear cause. Other commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, sleep problems, and depressed mood.

After nineteen years of dealing with hundreds of Fibromyalgia (FM) clients I can state with confidence that, FM is not a disease, period. Fibromyalgia does not a have an “etiological agent” that causes it (bacteria, virus, yeast, fungus, or parasite). FM is a set of symptoms only, caused by nutritional deficiency(s), endocrine imbalance(s) (caused by a nutritional deficiency(s), or in some cases an allergy(s).

The most common cause of FM, in my opinion, is magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency is compounded by the client’s vitamin D deficiency, which is almost always present. Most FM clients will have poorer than average diets and tend not to have ever engaged in much physical activity (sports or the gym) When coached properly, health returns.

Reversing FM is not a mystery to those in the know, which excludes the pharmaceutical industry, the AMA, most MD’s, and the insurance industry. The truth is out there, you just need to pull your head out of the sand.

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

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Postmeopausal Calcium Intake Facts

Question: Doctor Ettinger,

My OBGYN just told me that after menopause, every female needs to supplement themselves with extra calcium. What’s the truth here?

Jane Swanson

Answer: Jane,

First, there is no set age when either males or females suddenly need to  start adjusting their calcium intake. In contrast to a number of other nutrients whose requirements tend to change with advancing age, requirements for calcium are dependent on multiple genetic, metabolic, and lifestyle factors, none of which are age or gender-related.

Only in pregnant or lactating females is it potentially justified to increase their calcium intake by about 400 mg per day to cover additional needs for the baby. However, even then it is far better to assess individual requirements since that amount would be totally inadequate when there is a history of the mother being chronically calcium deficient, which increases the risk of birth defects in the baby, while at the same time there are plenty of pregnant women whose calcium levels are perfectly adequate, or even on the high side, without extra supplementation.

Second, this is no different than what may apply to the general population, where some individuals (regardless of age or gender) suffer from chronic calcium deficiency and require rather large amounts of extra calcium to meet requirements, while the opposite applies to many other individuals who suffer from chronic calcium overload. So the “one-size-fits-all” recommendations used by most practitioners for post-menopausal women not only perpetuates the dilemma for those with calcium assimilation problems, but they also add to the woes of those who retain too much calcium.

Lastly, a younger body is generally much more forgiving when dealing with high calcium levels, however with every advancing decade, excessive calcium intake, or excessive storage from a lack of calcium co-factors (vitamin D, boron, magnesium), will take an increasingly irreversible toll by calcifying an individual’s organs, joints, and/or cardiovascular system, in addition to causing a negative impact on stomach acid levels, mood, energy, and general mineral balance.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Additional Information

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