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Nutrient Details For : Boron

A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organism's metabolism, growth, or other functioning. Click name for details Arsenic Biotin Boron Calcium Carbohydrates Carnitine Carotenoids Chloride Choline Chromium Copper Energy Fiber Fluoride Folate Iodine Iron Lipids Magnesium Manganese Molybdenum Niacin Nickel Pantothenic acid Phosphorus Phyto-chemicals Potassium Protein Riboflavin Selenium Silicon Sodium Thiamin Vanadium Vitamin A Vitamin B 12 Vitamin B 6 Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Zinc Further Trace Elements

Boron (B) is a trace mineral that is essential for plants. Boron may also be essential for humans and animals based on recent experimental evidence showing that boron affects blood biochemical markers of energy and mineral metabolism.

Specifically, boron seems to be important for energy utilization and the development and maintenance of bone.

Deficiencies:

In humans, no deficiencies have been documented in normal living populations. Study of volunteers in special living quarters shows that reducing the amount of dietary boron causes changes in blood glucose and fat similar to that seen in boron-deficient animals. For reasons not fully understood, boron supplementation increases the percent of calcium intake lost in the urine of both pre- and post-menopausal volunteers. Very low intakes of boron may aggravate the symptoms of arthritis.

Recommendations:

The usual adult dietary boron intake is about 1 mg/day.

Use of boron supplements is not recommended as neither an Estimated Safe and Adequate Dietary Intake (ESADDI) or Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) has been set for boron.

Food sources:

The main sources of boron in the diet are drinking water (which varies considerably between geographical locations), milk and dairy products, and juices and beverages. On a wet weight basis, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts (dicotyledonous plants) contain much more boron than grains, breads, and cereals (monocotyledonous plants). Animal products (meats, poultry, fish, etc.) contain very little boron but milk and dairy products are major contributors to total boron intake because of the large quantities consumed.

Toxicity:

Almost all the boron that enters the body from diet or absorption through damaged skin is promptly excreted in the urine.
Very high boron intakes can overwhelm this causing acute boron toxicity resulting in nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, hypothermia, restlessness, skin loss, kidney damage, and death from circulatory collapse and shock. The minimum lethal dose for humans is not known although single doses of 18 to 20 g in adults have been fatal.

Chemical information on Boron

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