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The world of nutrition is no stranger to new and bizarre trends - the latest fad in healthy ingestibles? Colloidal metals. 

The metallurgic trend has truly gained steam over the past few months. In 2016, we saw a rise in wellness tonics and drinks made with botanicals and natural herbs—and it looks like gold, silver, and copper ingestibles are positioned to hit it big soon. Colloidal formulas are essentially high-quality water flecked with the food-grade precious metals. They can be mixed into alkaline water or green juice for a shimmering drink—but are these gilded beverages actually good for us? 

Here’s what you need to know about colloidal gold, silver, and copper. 

Colloidal silver
Silver in all forms is naturally antifungal and antibacterial, which is why it’s often woven into athletic garments to help beat lingering sweaty odors. And it turns out that food-grade silver is actually pretty effective at fighting human pathogens. A UCLA Medical School study found that colloidal silver killed over 650 types of disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

Colloidal silver is incredibly good at treating topical skin wounds as well. It’s often used to help cuts and scrapes heal, and some recommend the use of colloidal silver to clear up acne. 

Colloidal gold
While colloidal silver is scientifically proven to be effective, colloidal gold is a very different story. In fact, you might want to skip it altogether if you’re looking specifically for health benefits: Other than a 1997 study in which the Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, which found that patients suffering from chronic inflammation reported that ingesting colloidal gold helped with pain more than a placebo, there’s no evidence that it improves health. 

Colloidal copper
Copper has antioxidant powers—meaning it fights free radical cellular damage in the body. And it turns out that our bodies actually require trace amounts of copper as part of our daily recommended value of vitamins and nutrients. But there’s no need to chug a bottle of colloidal copper daily … the body needs just 2 milligrams a day of copper, which we usually absorb through food. 

Those with food intolerances or digestive system issues that impair absorption of nutrients (like Celiac disease), might not be hitting their copper quota day to day. In this instance, it might be beneficial to take a copper supplement or to add a few drops of colloidal copper to your green juice. 

The most important thing to remember is that unlike essential vitamins and minerals, colloids aren’t imperative for a healthy body. In fact, if you overdo it on the copper, gold, or silver, you could end up suffering from serious side effects, so you should always check in with your medical practitioner before starting a supplement regimen. 

And as always at Integrative Nutrition, we encourage you to listen to your body. We are all unique, bio-individual beings. So feel free to explore and experiment but just because something is the latest craze that doesn’t mean you need to jump on the bandwagon. 

Would you try colloidal metals? Why or why not? Share with us in the comments below!