Boron Mineral Health Benefits
Boron is an essential mineral for human health and in many cases, it cannot be obtained through diet alone. It has been found that boron deficiency can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis or joint pain. Boron deficiency also leads to reduced ability of the body to absorb calcium which may lead to brittle nails, teeth or bones. For those who are faced with these conditions and need relief, there are a number of different ways to get treated with the help of Boron medically.
Boron Intake
According to data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988-1994) and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (1994–1996), median dietary boron intakes range from 0.87 to 1.35 mg/day in adults, 1.05 to 1.08 mg/day in pregnant women, and 0.75 to 0.96 mg/day in school-aged children.
Vegetarians tend to have higher intakes of boron than non-vegetarians because boron is plentiful in plant foods. The median dietary boron intake in lactating women is 1.27 mg/day. Boron intakes are about 0.55 mg/day among infants and about 0.54 mg/day among toddlers. Total median boron intakes from dietary supplements and foods are about 1.0 to 1.5 mg/day for adults (Source: Drug)
Nutritional Benefits and Medicinal Uses
Boron offers surprising benefits as part of a balanced diet and boron supplements are becoming a common sight on the shelves of drugstores and pharmacies as the positive effects become more understood. Some of the very crucial health areas in which Boron can be traced.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is caused by a loss of cartilage in the joints, leading to inflammation and pain. The severity can differ from person to person but overall, it can be quite debilitating as people lose mobility or risk long-term joint damage due to continued pain. Boron helps maintain healthy cartilage, reducing stiffness and joint deterioration while offering immediate comfort for those with osteoarthritis.
A natural mineral closely associated with arthritis, boron in osteoarthritis supplements is helpful because they work with your body’s natural mechanism for slowing down the degeneration of cartilage so that you may limit motion problems and the effects on your ability to do everyday tasks.
Bone Health
Boron is an essential mineral and because of this, it may be difficult to find in your average diet. Boron aids and supports the absorption of calcium for strong, healthy bones. It also helps eliminate excess estrogen so that your body can better utilize natural estrogens for mood stability or weight management.
Eating a nutrient-rich diet may help address some aesthetic problems with thinning hair by helping boron get into the cells to produce lecithin, which makes fatty acids more emulsified.
Cancer
Cancer is a devastating disease and the need for more effective irradiation therapy is immense. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a treatment method for cancer patients that uses the body’s immune system to fight malignancies. This may be thought of as the extreme version of conventional chemotherapy because it harnesses powerful neutrons emitted from uranium and boron, which then bombard surfaces containing cancer cells. The highly energetic neutrons smash into atomic nuclei and disrupt their nucleus’s stability, thereby changing DNA structure; this renders them incapable of reproducing or forming tumors. This procedure is applied to kill cancer cells in high-risk patients who are coming close to death, it is also used for those with brain tumors and other head cancers when their tumor cannot be fully resected. The treatment was developed at the National Cancer Institute, where experiments on boron nuclei showed that a process of “boron capture” could create a proton beam that dissociates cancerous cells within seconds. Boron has become an important tool in creating treatments that are minimally invasive and highly selective. A solution of boron compounds to be injected when undergoing neutron capture therapy for cancer.
Joint pain
Using boron to supplement your diet has been proven an effective way to provide those joints with the nutrients they need. Adding a boron supplement reduces pain in the joints and improves flexibility of the joint cartilage by minimizing breakdown from free radicals in the body that cause inflammation. It does this without causing side effects like many chronic medications.
Cardiovascular health
Boron helps to activate carotenoid enzymes necessary for the production of key cardiovascular health-promoting compounds. Boron deficiency has been associated with an increased risk for high blood pressure, stroke, and atherosclerosis. This dietary supplement can help provide a daily boron intake that meets or exceeds recommended levels for skeletal and cardiovascular health benefits.
Emotional benefits
High concentrations of boron have been found to produce effects similar to the hormone estrogen. It is well established that estrogen exerts a significant influence on mental state, empathy, and mood. Boron has often been described as “nature’s estrogen”, and in laboratory tests elevated levels of its plasma boron levels have been shown to produce increased feelings of wellbeing, lower anxiety, less irritability, and aggression in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Boron Boosts energy, stamina, and endurance
Boron is a chemical element that’s found in cells and has a high affinity for ribose, ATP (adenosine triphosphate), NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) which are essential biological molecules. Boron helps maintain cell membranes as well as their structure and function. Excess boron impairs membrane functions such as integrity, conformation, and transport capacity.
Boron suppresses Bacterial infections
Boric acid is a more cost-effective alternative to topical antibiotics. Boric acid was first used as an antiseptic in 1875 and later, Boric Acid is considered the go-to treatment for bacterial infections such as acne rosacea, folliculitis barber’s itch (ingrown hairs), dandruff seborrheic dermatitis.
Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM)
Boric acid solutions are effective in the treatment of CSOM because of their acidic effect. Various databases, such as PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and SciELO, were searched for references related to the efficacy of boric acid in the treatment of mucosal CSOM, as well as its ototoxicity. The search revealed that boric acid is relatively effective in treating CSOM, especially at a high concentration. Boric acid in distilled water was found safe in animal studies. However, the ototoxicity of boric acid concentrations higher than 4% needs further evaluation, considering the effectivity of boric acid at high concentrations.
Points to Keep in Mind While Consuming Boron
Consuming high doses of boron can cause nausea, vomiting, indigestion, headache, and diarrhea. At higher doses skin flushing/vascular collapse is possible as well as fatal poisonings at 5-6 grams in infants and 15-20 grams for adults have been reported. The NIH cautions that boron supplements (or high dietary intake of boron) may be harmful to people with hormone-sensitive conditions, including breast cancer, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. The concern is that boron may increase the levels of hormones such as estrogen and testosterone in certain individuals. (Source:https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/894.html#Safety)
Furthermore, boron is eliminated primarily through the kidneys so it should be avoided by people with kidney disease or problems with kidney function. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children should avoid taking boron or use boric acid in any form including suppositories, topical boric acid powder, or a solution to clean infant pacifiers. Boron is not a recommended supplement for treating common health conditions. This mineral can interact with conventional medications, and it’s best to avoid using boron without the approval of your healthcare provider.
