Research on the Mineral Boron
The following research abstracts
are presented to reflect the findings of possible benefits from
minerals as a dietary supplement and nutritional supplement.
You will find more on the ionic
boron page.
GENERAL BORON RESEARCH
Nielsen, F. H. (1994) Environ
Health Perspect, 102(Suppl 7), 59-63.
Boron deprivation experiments
with humans have yielded some persuasive findings for the hypothesis
that boron is an essential nutrient.
In the first nutritional study with humans involving boron,
12 postmenopausal women first were fed a diet that provided
0.25 mg boron/2000 kcal for 119
days, and then were fed the same diet with a boron
supplement of 3 mg boron/day for
48 days. The boron supplementation
reduced the total plasma concentration of calcium and the urinary
excretions of calcium and magnesium, and elevated the serum
concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone. This study
was followed by one in which five men over the age of 45, four
postmenopausal women, and five postmenopausal women on estrogen
therapy were fed a boron-low diet
(0.23 mg/2000 kcal) for 63 days, then fed the same diet supplemented
with 3 mg boron/day for 49 days.
The diet was low in magnesium (115 mg/2000 kcal) and marginally
adequate in copper (1.6 mg/2000 kcal) throughout the study.
This experiment found higher erythrocyte superoxide dismutase,
serum enzymatic ceruloplasmin, and plasma copper during boron
repletion than boron depletion.
The design of the most recent experiment was the same as the
second study, except this time the diet was adequate in magnesium
and copper. Estrogen therapy increased plasma copper and serum
17 beta-estradiol concentrations; the increases were depressed
by boron deprivation. Estrogen
ingestion also increased serum immunoreactive ceruloplasmin
and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase; these variables also were
higher during boron repletion than
depletion for all subjects, not just those ingesting estrogen.(ABSTRACT
TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).
Bone Density/ Physiology/ Boron/ Administration & Dosage/
*Deficiency/ Physiology/ Calcium/ *Blood/ Copper/ Blood/ Dose-Response
Relationship, Drug/ Estradiol/ *Blood/ Estrogen Replacement
Therapy/ Female/ Human/ Magnesium/ *Blood/ Male/ Middle Age/
Nutritional Requirements/ Testosterone/ *Blood.
Nielsen, F. H. (1991) F-A-S-E-B-J-Off-Publ-Fed-Am-Soc-Exp-Biol,
5(12), 2661-2667.
Definition of specific biochemical
functions in higher animals (including humans) for the ultra
trace elements boron, silicon,
vanadium, nickel, and arsenic still has not been achieved although
all of these elements have been described as being essential
nutrients. Recently, many new findings from studies using molecular
biology techniques, sophisticated equipment, unusual organisms,
and newly defined enzymes have revealed possible sites of essential
action for these five elements. Based on these findings and
the response of animals and/or humans to low intakes of these
elements, the following speculations have been presented: 1)Boron
has a role that affects cell membrane characteristics and transmembrane
signaling. 2)Silicon is necessary for the association between
cells and one or more macromolecules such as osteonectin, which
affects cartilage composition and ultimately cartilage calcification.
3)Vanadium reacts with hydrogen peroxide to form a pervanadate
that is required to catalyze the oxidation of halide ions and/or
stimulate the phosphorylation of receptor proteins. 4)Nickel
is needed for the C02-fixation to propionyl-CoA to form D-methylmalonyl-CoA.
5)Arsenic has an important role in the conversion of methionine
to its metabolites taurine, labile methyl, and the polyamines.
If any of these speculations are found to be true, the element
involved will be firmly established as having a nutritional
requirement because the body obviously cannot synthesize it.
Based on animal findings, the dietary requirement is likely
to be small; that is, expressed in micrograms per day.
DNAL QH301.F3.
human-nutrition-research/ arsenic-/ boron-/ nickel-/ silicon-/
vanadium-/ nutrient-requirements/ literature-reviews.
Hunt, C. D., Shuler, T. R., &
Mullen, L. M. (1991) J Am Diet Assoc, 91(5), 558-568.
The element boron
is ubiquitous in the environment. Comparatively low concentrations
of dietary boron affect several
aspects of mineral metabolism in animals and human beings. Therefore,
it is appropriate to determine precisely the concentration of
boron in human foodstuffs and absorbed,
inhaled, or ingested nonfood substances. In this article, we
report the analyzed concentrations of boron
and other elements in selected foods (animal products, water,
condiments, confections, fruits, tuberized roots, vegetables,
cereal grains, and spices) and personal-care products (analgesics,
antibiotics, decongestants, antihistamines, dental hygiene products,
gastric antacids, and laxatives). We conclude tat daily intake
of boron usually differs considerably
between any two individuals for three main reasons. First, concentration
of boron in water varies considerably
according to geographic source. At some locations, boron
in drinking water and water based beverages may account for
most of the total dietary boron
intake. Second, individual food preference greatly influences
daily intake of boron. Fruits,
vegetables, tubers, and legumes have relatively much higher
concentrations of boron than do
cereal grains or animal tissues and fluids. Third, boron
was determined to be a notable contaminant or major ingredient
of many personal care products.
DNAL-FNC 389.8-AM34.
foods-/ boron-/ nutrient-intake/ cosmetics-/ drugs-/ drinking-water/
food-preferences/ non-food-products/ mineral-content.
Nielsen, F. H., Hunt, C. D.,
Mullen, L. M., & Hunt, J. R. (1987) FASEB J, 1(5),
394-7.
A study was done to examine the
effects of aluminum, magnesium, and boron
on major mineral metabolism in postmenopausal women. This communication
describes some of the effects of dietary boron
on 12 women between the ages of 48 and 82 housed in a metabolic
unit. A boron supplement of 3 mg/day
markedly affected several indices of mineral metabolism of seven
women consuming a low-magnesium diet and five women consuming
a diet adequate in magnesium; the women had consumed a conventional
diet supplying about 0.25 mg boron/day
for 119 days. Boron supplementation
markedly reduced the urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium;
the depression seemed more marked when dietary magnesium was
low. Boron supplementation depressed
the urinary excretion of phosphorus by the low-magnesium, but
not by the adequate-magnesium, women. Boron
supplementation markedly elevated the serum concentrations of
17 beta-estradiol and testosterone; the elevation seemed more
marked when dietary magnesium was low. Neither high dietary
aluminum (1000 mg/day) nor an interaction between boron
and aluminum affected the variables presented. The findings
suggest that supplementation of a low-boron
diet with an amount of boron commonly
found in diets high in fruits and vegetables induces changes
in postmenopausal women consistent with the prevention of calcium
loss and bone demineralization.
Aged/ Aged, 80 And Over/ Boron/ Administration & Dosage/
*Pharmacology/ Calcium/ Urine/ Diet/ Estradiol/ *Blood/ Female/
Human/ Magnesium/ Urine/ Menopause/ *Metabolism/ Middle Age/
Minerals/ *Metabolism/ Phosphorus/ Urine/ Testosterone/ *Blood.
Reeves, P. G., Niesen, F. H.,
& Fahey, G. C. Jr. (1993) J Nut, 123(11), 1939-1951.
For sixteen years, the American
institute of Nutrition Rodent Diets, AIN-76 and AIN-76A, have
been used extensively around the world. Because of numerous
nutritional and technical problems encountered with the diet
during this period, it was revised. Two new formulations were
derived: AIN-93G for growth, pregnancy and lactation, and AIN-93m
for adult maintenance. Some major differences in the new formulation
of AIN-93G compared with AIN-76A are as follows: 7 g soybean
oil (0.5 g linolenic acid)/100 g diet was substituted for 5
g corn oil/100 g diet to increase the amount of linolenic acid;cornstarch
was substituted for sucrose; the amount of phosphorus was reduced
to help eliminate the problem of kidney calcification in female
rats; L-cysteine was substituted for DL-methionine as the amino
acid supplement for casein, know to be deficient in the sulfur
amino acids; manganese concentration was lowered to one-fifth
the amount in the old diet; the amounts of vitamin E, vitamin
K and vitamin B-12 were increased; and molybdenum, silicon,
fluoride, nickel, boron, lithium
and vanadium were added to the mineral mix. for the AIN-93M
maintenance diet, the amount of fat was lowered to 40g/kg diet
from 70 g/kg diet, and the amount of casein to 140 g/kg from
200 g/kg in the AIN-93G diet. Because of a better balance of
essential nutrients, the AIN-93 diets may prove to be a better
choice than AIN-76A for long-term as well as short-term studies
with laboratory rodents.
DNAL 389.8-J82.
rodents-/ feed-formulation/ nutrient-content/ energy-content/
vitamin-content/ mineral-content/ feed-mixing/ storage-/ purified
diet/ nutrient requirements/ rats/ mice experimental-diets.
