Naturopathic Nutrition

Manganese, Fluoride,
Molybdenum, Cobalt &
Vanadium
 Much of the following material on manganese is sourced from

MANGANESE Jamison, J 2003, Clinical Guide to Nutrition and Dietary

Supplements in Disease Management, Churchill Livingstone,
Victoria

 CHEMICAL SYMBOL: Mn
 MAJOR SOURCES: Nuts, fruits and vegetables.
Good sources are hazelnuts, blackberries,
pineapple, lentils, beans and wholegrains.
 RDI= none set
 Therapeutic dose = 5-50mg/day
 TOXICITY: Oral manganese is essentially non-
toxic but if taken in excess, it can cause
irreversible nervous system damage resembling
Parkinson’s disease. Toxicity usually occurs
with inhalation of manganese dust by miners.
FUNCTIONS:
 Facilitates synthesis of mucopolysaccharides, lipids
and thyroxine.
 Helps prevent tissue damage caused by lipid
oxidation.
 May play a role in calcium mobilisation.
 Part of the enzyme superoxide dismutase so it
reduces the risk of exposure to free radicals.
 Part of pyruvate carboxylase so it generates
oxaloactate (used in citric acid cycle).
 May play a role in glucose homeostatsis.
 Activates enzymes involved in cartilage synthesis.
 Facilitates formation of urea.
 Activates numerous enzymes.
THERAPEUTIC INDICATIONS
 Deficiency: Very unlikely but may cause:
 Weight loss

 Rash

 Nausea

Main Therapeutic Uses (in formulations):

 Facilitating control of blood glucose levels

 Reducing inflammation in arthritis

Aberrant manganese metabolism is sometimes found in

multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou
Gehrig's disease - a form of motor neuron disease).
 Much of the following material on fluoride is sourced from

FLUORIDE
Jamison, J 2003, Clinical Guide to Nutrition and Dietary
Supplements in Disease Management, Churchill Livingstone,
Victoria

 CHEMICAL SYMBOL: F-
 MAJOR SOURCES: Naturally occurs in
drinking water but is also added to
drinking water. Fluoridated water
contains between 0.7 to 1.2mg of fluoride
per litre. Tea and seafood are good
dietary sources. Usually added to
toothpaste (containing on average
1mg/gm of fluoride).
 Medications: anaesthetics, hypnotics,
psychiatric drugs, nerve gas, Prozac.
 RDI: none set
FLUORIDE
 Daily Dose allowed in water: 0.1-
3mg
 Adequate Daily Intake: 3mg for
women and 4mg for men.
 Toxicity: Potentially toxic for adults at
10mg daily for long periods.
 Absorption: Absorbed from intestine.
90% of retained fluoride is deposited in
the skeleton and can replace the
hydroxy ion in bone mineral. This is a
reversible process. Urinary excretion.
FUNCTIONS
 Protects against dental caries.
 At low concentrations, skeletal uptake of fluoride is
limited and it appears to have beneficial effects on
bone structure / density.
 Higher concentrations cause greater uptake which
may result in abnormally mineralised bone –
apparently increasing density without increasing
strength.
 Fluoride supplementation alone does not decrease
the risk of osteoporotic fracture.
 When fluoride is given with calcium, it appears to
stimulate bone formation, preserve bone density
and reduce the risk of fracture, especially in post
menopausal women with osteoporosis.
TOXICITY:
 Early signs of chronic fluoride overdose:
 Bone pain

 Skin rashes

 Tooth discolouration – white, brown or black spots

on teeth may indicate excess fluoride

consumption.
 Excess fluoride can cause skeletal fluorosis
characterised by:
 Patchy osteoprosis / osteosclerosis (abnormal

hardening or density) / hypermineralization

 Increased bone density in disorganised bone –

which does not make the bone stronger or harder.

 Disordered bone growth and spurs
FLUORIDE
 DEFICIENCY: Deficiencies are rare
since most water supplies in the
developed world are fluoridated.

 WARNINGS:
 Do not supplement with fluoride in

areas with fluoridated water.

 Avoid swallowing toothpaste
 Much of the following material on molybdenum is sourced from

MOLYBDENUM Wong, V 2010, Safe Molybdenum Prescribing, FX Medicine:

BioCeuticals Trade Journal, Vol.57 and

 CHEMICAL SYMBOL: Mo
 MAJOR SOURCES: Leafy vegetables and
legumes – but depends on soil content.
 RDI = 45-50μg
 Therapeutic dose: Rarely used as a
supplement. Follow manufacturers
instructions. Bioceuticals suggest that
a daily dose of 2000mcg is considered
safe – but follow directions on their
product.
Functions:
 The three critical molybdenum enzymes in
the body are:
 Sulfite oxidase – for metabolism of
methionine and cysteine.
 Xanthine oxidase:
 Breaks down nucleotides to create uric acid
(plasma antioxidant)
 Aids release of iron from ferritin
 Metabolism of xenobiotics
 Aldehyde oxidase:
 Phase 1 detoxification for xenobiotics
 Oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids
 Oxidation of and reduction of other compounds
MOLYBDENUM
 DEFICIENCY: Likely to be rare.
 THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS:
 Bioceuticals has recently added a Molybdenum product to

their range with the key indication being to reduce copper

levels. They argue that copper toxicity is increasing – see
separate PDF.
 TOXICITY: Rare. Diarrhoea, anaemia and gout (elevated uric
acid levels)
 CONTRAINDICATIONS:
 Gout

 Copper or zinc deficiency

 Male infertility – recent study has found dose-dependent

trends between Mo in blood and declined sperm

concentration and morphology (see separate PDF).
COBALT (Not yet sourced)

 CHEMICAL SYMBOL: Co
 MAJOR SOURCES: Integral part of vitamin B12
(cyanocobalamin), Meat, eggs, yeast. May be
added to beer as a frothing agent.
 No RDI – said not to be an essential nutrient.
 Supplementation: not given as separate
supplement (just as part of B12).
 FUNCTIONS: Maintenance, functioning &
production of RBC as part of vitamin B12 .
VANADIUM (Not yet sourced)

 CHEMICAL SYMBOL: V
 MAJOR SOURCES: Linseed oil, corn oil,
soybean oil, buckwheat, parsley, chicken fat,
black pepper, vanadyl sulphate supplements.
 No RDI/AI
 SR: Not usually supplemented. 25-100mcg
(0.5-1mg)
 TOXICITY: >25mg/day causes depression,
bipolar disorder, neurosis. GIT upset, green
tongue, Vitamin C displaces excess V. Athletes
may be at risk from using vanadyl sulfate as a
supplement to enhance performance.
Possible Functions:
 Reduces cholesterol production (may be due to
fact that it is mostly found in polyunsaturated oils)
 May play a role in iodine metabolism or thyroid
function
 Hypoglycaemic effect, can act as insulin mimic
 Normalises blood sugar in NIDDM
 Bone, tooth & cartilage development
 Increases amino acid incorporation in skeletal
muscle- vanadyl sulphate supplements used by
body builders to improve muscle growth
VANADIUM
THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS:
 Used in some formulations designed for prevention

of CVD.
 Diabetes (NIDDM)

 Body building?

CAUTIONS:
 Inhibits trypsin and pepsin – digestive
problems.