Copper Converts Iron into Hemoglobin
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Loading ...Copper is an essential element for the formation of hemoglobin.There is approximately 75 to 150 mg of copper in the adult human body. Newborn infants have higher concentrations of copper than adults. The liver, brain, kidneys, heart, and hair contain relatively high concentrations. The average serum copper levels are higher in adult females than in males. The serum copper levels also increase significantly in women during pregnancy and when taking oral contraceptives.
In the human body, copper is a constituent of several enzymes and is found in combination with sexual proteins in the blood.
Ceruloplasmin, a copper-containing plasma enzyme, catalyzes the oxidation of the ferrous ion to ferric ion, and thereby enables iron to be trapped by transferring (a protein transporting iron in the blood). It is then transported to tissues for the synthesis of iron-containing compounds, especially hemoglobin.
Copper is mostly absorbed at the level of the duodenum in the intestine. Approximately 3:2 per cent of the copper in the diet is absorbed. Excess copper is excreted in the bile.
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