Further burnishing copper's reputation as an essential nutrient for human health researchers have found that the metal plays a key role in metabolising fat. We find that copper is essential for breaking down fat cells so that they can be used for energy said lead researcher Chris Chang professor at the University of California - Berkeley. It acts as a regulator. The more copper there is the more the fat is broken down Chang noted. The nutrient is plentiful in foods such as oysters and other shellfish leafy greens mushrooms seeds nuts and beans. (Read: Lose belly fat quickly with
