This Surprising METAL Might Help You Burn More Fat  

Copper, the metal responsible for fancy pants cookware and cool AF Moscow mule mugs, can now add “fat burner” to its long list of accomplishments.

That's right, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley and the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that copper may actually contain weight-loss properties.

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For the study, the team of researchers studied mice with a genetic mutation (called Wilson’s disease—also found in humans) that causes an accumulation of copper in the liver. Their findings: The mice with extra copper in their livers had lower than normal fat levels compared to the control group of mice. Meanwhile, the mice with less copper in their fatty tissues had more fatty deposits.

“We noticed that the more copper present, the more fat is broken down and used for energy,” says study author Chris Chang, Ph.D. (Get your fat-burn on with these workouts from Women's Health's Look Better Naked DVD!)

RELATED: 9 Healthy Changes That Burn More Fat

So how does it all work? Copper basically keeps your body in fat-burning mode while you do absolutely nothing, says Chang. “We don’t continuously burn fat, especially while at rest, but we’ve found that copper basically blocks the 'off switch' for fat burning.” (Sounds like a genius discovery to us.)

The study authors also believe a copper deficiency could be linked to obesity, but more research needs to be done.

RELATED: Which Is More Important to Burn for Weight Loss: Fat or Calories?

While the body doesn’t produce copper naturally, we need about 700 micrograms of the metal each day. The best place to get it: foods like leafy greens, beans, mushrooms, shellfish, oysters, nuts, and seeds.

With that said, don’t go chowing on copper supplements (or sucking on pennies, ew) because too much copper can be toxic. “You really can’t eat too many leafy green veggies, so your best bet is to get copper through a clean diet,” says Chang. #KaleYeah. 

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