There are no specific deficiency symptoms of cobalt. Insufficient vitamin B 12 causes pernicious anaemia, which limits the ability of the bone marrow to produce normal red blood cells. Why you need it Copper is involved in the synthesis of connective tissue in the skeleton and blood vessels, and is necessary in the formation of red blood cells and bone marrow cells. It plays a role in the functioning of the central nervous system, thermal regulation, the immune function, cardiac function and in cholesterol and glucose metabolism. It's also important for the pigmentation of skin, hair and eyes, and is an antioxidant.
Moderate sources are cereals, nuts and some fruit.
The amount of copper in the diet is affected by the concentration of copper in the soil, which is usually influenced by local conditions. A specific deficiency of copper which is thought to occur in adults is copper deficiency anaemia. The possible consequences of deficiencies thought to affect infants are copper deficiency anaemia, hair and skin depigmentation, bone demineralisation and cardiac abnormalities. Generally, a daily intake of up to 5mg is considered safe. In extreme cases, copper toxicity can result in a coma.