Copper May Help Fight Heart Disease

A controversial new study found that dietary copper supplements allowed mice with enlarged hearts, or hypertrophy, to regain normal heart size and function. The study's findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Researchers credited copper with improving heart blood vessel capacity in mice. They also surmised that copper was beneficial to vascular endothelial growth factor, a molecule which contributes to the proper functioning of heart blood vessels. 

"If you don't get treatment for [hypertrophy], the heart stops functioning properly," said Y. James Kang, professor of medicine and pharmacology at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Kang was the lead author of the study.

Hypertrophy of the heart is a serious condition. According to the American Heart Association, hypertrophy can occur when the heart muscle thickens as a result of being overworked. Heart valve disease or high blood pressure are two examples of conditions which can cause an increase in the heart's workload. Left ventricular hypertrophy refers to enlargement of the left ventricle, which is the primary pumping chamber. Events such as heart attacks and congestive heart failure can cause damage which leads to enlargement of the heart.

The new study's findings are promising, but further research is needed before people begin adding copper to their diets. "We intend to study this in human patients," Kang said. "In people with heart failure, we will look at blood copper levels and see if supplements have an effect."

The U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance for copper is 0.9 milligrams daily. U.S. Department of Agriculture research indicates that on average, both men and women between the ages of 19 and 60 already get more than enough copper in their diets. The average daily intake for men in this age group is 1.6 milligrams; the average daily intake for women in the same age group is 1 milligram.