Used by man for millennia to make tools, copper also plays a vital role within the body, assisting growth, cellular function, free radical control and the many functions of blood.

Copper is necessary for your body to convert the mineral iron into haemoglobin, the pigment that makes your blood red and carries oxygen around your body. It also helps make tyrosine, an amino acid precursor of the thyroid hormones, some of the neurotransmitters and also helps give your hair and skin its colour.

Copper also assists in the function of the proteins that make you grow, as well as assisting in the workings of your nerves, the release of energy and the control of inflammation and free radical damage. Copper, with zinc and manganese, form an essential part of all the antioxidant enzymes of the body by acting as co-factors for optimal enzyme functioning.

There is currently no fixed RDA, but about 2mg is thought to be enough – that’s the equivalent of a small serving of sardines or sunflower seeds.

Liver, seafood such as oysters and crab, sardines, nuts and seeds, mushrooms and whole-wheat bread.

Lack of copper may contribute to high levels of the “bad” LDL cholesterol and low levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol and is regarded as a contributor to heart and circulatory problems.

Failure of babies to thrive and grow, fatigue, iron deficiency anaemia, and changes in hair and skin colour.

Excessive copper intake is rare, but may be caused by drinking water contaminated by copper water pipes. More than 5mg daily can cause migraine, diarrhoea and schizophrenia. Too much copper can also deplete the body of manganese.

Short-term increases in the copper intake may help to reduce the fever, swelling and reduced joint mobility among rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.