New research shows a link between Alzheimer's disease and too much copper consumption over one's lifespan, BBC News reported.

The study, published in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, showed high levels of copper caused the brain to struggle to remove protein, which resulted in dementia.

Copper, vital to any healthy diet, can be found in tap water that runs through copper pipes, red meat, shellfish, fruit and vegetables.

"It is clear that, over time, copper's cumulative effect is to impair the systems by which amyloid beta is removed from the brain," said lead author Dr. Rashid Deane.

Deane and his team at the University of Rochester in New York conducted the study on mice and found copper impaired blood flow to the brain. The researchers said this made it difficult for the brain to deplete itself of beta amyloid.

"Copper is a very essential metal ion and you don't want a deficiency and many nutritious foods also contain copper," said Deane.

Chris Exley, professor of bioinorganic chemistry at Keele University, refuted Deane's findings, saying there is not conclusive evidence to copper's role in Alzheimer's. In fact, Exley found in his own research the opposite.

"In our most recent work we found evidence of lower total brain copper with ageing and Alzheimer's," Exley told BBC News. "We also found that lower brain copper correlated with higher deposition of beta amyloid in brain tissue."

Dr. Eric Karran, from Alzheimer's Research U.K., said he did not think the experiments conducted on mice could offer an accurate answer to how copper would affect a human's brain.

"While the findings present clues to how copper could contribute to features of Alzheimer's in mice, the results will need replicating in further studies," he said. "It is too early to know how normal exposure to copper could be influencing the development or progression of Alzheimer's in people."

The Alzheimer's Society's Dr. Doug Brown advised people not to cut copper out of their diet, but to use caution and, like most other things, to consume it in moderation.

"Considering copper is a vital mineral for the body, people should treat these results with caution and not cut it out of their diet," Brown said. "More research is needed to understand the role that copper might play in the brain."