I am a man aged 62. Every year I get older, I find that the problems my body suffers multiply. When I was younger, I was a runner. I could tackle miles without feeling the impact of those many metres on my body. A few months ago, whenever I tried to jog, my joints would ache. They ached when I walked and even when it was cold.
Over the years, I have read dozens of articles telling me to take care of my bones. Eat healthily. Consume foods rich in calcium. Make sure you get enough sunshine; it is a source vitamin D. I have seen articles and family members and friends and they have all told me the same thing: that I need to increase my calcium intake if I want to have healthy bones, and if I don’t have it my diet, to look for it in vitamin supplements. However, it was only a few months ago when I discovered that it takes more than these two nutrients to develop healthy bones and help older ones heal and remain strong. That was around the time I started taking Zinc and Copper vegan supplements from this UK supplier.
Zinc, Copper, and Bones
Whether I took calcium vitamin supplements or exposed myself to enough sunlight, I found that I experienced joint pains regularly. When I told my doctor this, she guided me towards what she called a zinc-copper ratio. I did not realize zinc and copper were so essential to bone nourishment.
Copper is an essential trace mineral. This statement means that the body needs only small amounts of copper to function properly, she explained. When people take in large amounts of copper by eating nuts, seeds, and other copper-rich foods, they suffer complications due to the presence of excess copper. Complications from excess copper in the body include liver failure, nausea and irritability. In the long term, it leads to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
I learnt that one way to prevent ingesting too much copper would be to cut down on copper-rich foods. That option had the downside that one would risk taking in too little copper, effectively putting their body at risk of malnourished bones and other copper-deficiency-related conditions.
Another way would be to increase my intake of zinc. Zinc, I discovered, increases the body’s ability to metabolize and excrete excess copper. However, take in too much zinc and I risked doing away with the copper that my body needed for basic metabolic functions.
I settled on taking Zinc and Copper vitamin supplements from Body by Nature because it had both nutrients in a ration that appeared least risky to me. With every capsule, I got 15mg of zinc and 1mg of copper. Since I do not feel nauseous or fatigued, I believe I made the right choice in picking these vegan supplements. The fact that my knees do not ache as much as they used to I consider a bonus.
I recommend this product to those who need their copper but are not sure how to balance their intake of it.