Boron

What is boron? Boron is a trace mineral originally thought to be only necessary to plants, and not to humans. However, recent research has shown that boron is actually necessary for humans, and that it assists in the metabolic breakdown of minerals and energy within the body. For example, one of the recently discovered facts about boron is that if you are deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral, decreasing the amount of boron will increase the deficiency of the other vitamin or mineral. If there is a deficiency of boron the mineral, there will likely be changes within the glucose and fat levels of the blood.

There are always research studies going on to determine how boron affects human health, and some of the recently studied conditions and links have been boron and autism and boron and hormones.

There is no recommended daily allowance set for boron, but the consensus is that 1 mg a day is enough to sustain health. It is not a good idea to take any type of boron supplement, since there is no indication of how much you should limit yourself to of boron minerals, and excessive amounts might be harmful. Instead, it is best to acquire your boron mineral from boron food sources, which will allow you to achieve the right amount without risking your health in the process. Some of the most boron rich foods include dairy products and some fruits and vegetables. Another common source of boron is water, but this varies depending on your area’s water supply system.

Typically, through normal diet, boron levels will not become unsafe. It is not known what the maximum safe amount per day is, and neither is the lowest lethal amount, as this can vary person to person. There have been recorded cases where death was a result of 18 mg of boron. This is why it is important to not use a boron supplement, and to simply achieve your daily intake of boron through water and a healthy diet. Most commonly, the only time this is a factor is if there is acute boron toxicity, when the levels of boron are simply too much for the body to excrete fast enough. There can be many effects of boron toxicity, including loss of appetite, loss of sexual desire, headache, diarrhea, skin loss, circulatory collapse and shock, possibly leading to death. To avoid this, it is best to only ingest the boron that is already existent in foods and drinks.