By Andrea Bartels CNP NNCP RNT Registered Nutritional Therapist 26 Mar 2020

Copper is an anti-microbial--meaning it kills bacteria and viruses that affix to surfaces and isolated cells. It seems to work by generating electrically charged particles called ions which 'zap' right through infected cell membranes, killing the infected cell. (This is critical to destroying the virus, as the virus cannot survive or replicate without it.)

Unlike commonly used disinfectants such as chlorine and hydrogen peroxide, copper's germ-killing qualities never disappear. There is a long list of super-bugs---infectious microbes that are immune to the toughest synthetic antibiotics available---that can be killed by direct contact with copper. The valuable metal has been shown to kill strains of MRSA, e.coli, influenza A and norovirus---as well as SARS-CoV-2--- on contact.

While we don't know yet if copper can kill the virus that causes COVID-19 once it is inside the body, we do know that copper can support the immune system in its fight against the plethora of pathogens we encounter daily. It does this in two ways: by directly killing microbes, and by being an essential building-block mineral of the immune system.

Pure Lab Vitamins Copper Glycinate offers supplemental copper in a highly bioavailable compound providing 1 milligram of copper per capsule that may be taken up to twice daily. With glycine being the smallest amino acid, it carries minerals like copper through the tiny gateways from the digestive tract and into the bloodstream. Remember, while the mineral zinc is also critical for healthy immune function, high zinc intake can displace copper---so zinc should be accompanied by supplementary copper at a ratio of approximately 30:1 respectively.

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