MOLYBDENUM
Molybdenum, is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42.
Molybdenum is a trace mineral that can assure good health and well being by providing a number of benefits:
The human body contains about 0.07 mg of molybdenum per kilogram of weight. It occurs in higher concentrations in the liver and kidneys and in lower concentrations in the vertebrae. Molybdenum is also present within human tooth enamel and may help prevent its decay.
The average daily intake of molybdenum varies between 0.12 and 0.24 mg, but it depends on the molybdenum content of the food. Pork, lamb and beef liver each have approximately 1.5 parts per million of molybdenum. Other significant dietary sources include green beans, eggs, sunflower seeds, wheat flour, lentils, cucumbers and cereal grain. Acute toxicity has not been seen in humans, and the toxicity depends strongly on the chemical state. Studies on rats show a median lethal dose (LD50) as low as 180 mg/kg for some Mo compounds. Although human toxicity data is unavailable, animal studies have shown that chronic ingestion of more than 10 mg/day of molybdenum can cause diarrhea, growth retardation, infertility, low birth weight and gout; it can also affect the lungs, kidneys and liver. Sodium tungstate is a competitive inhibitor of molybdenum. Dietary tungsten reduces the concentration of molybdenum in tissues.
Molybdenum is an essential element in human nutrition, but its precise function and interactions with other chemicals in the body are not well understood. Some evidence suggests that too little molybdenum in the diet may be responsible for some health problems. Molybdenum is used to treat rare inherited metabolic diseases, such as Wilson's disease in which the body cannot process copper. More research is needed to learn whether it may have a role in preventing cancer and other diseases. It has shown promise in animal studies in reducing the harmful effects of certain cancer drugs on the heart and lungs.
Proponents claim molybdenum is an antioxidant that prevents cancer by protecting cells from free radicals, destructive molecules that may damage cells. Some supporters also claim that molybdenum prevents anemia, gout, dental cavities, and sexual impotence.
Food is the major source of molybdenum for most people. Common sources of molybdenum include legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils; grains; leafy vegetables; liver; and nuts. However, the amount of molybdenum in plants varies according to the amount in the soil.
Humans require very small amounts of molybdenum, and deficiency appears to happen only under the rarest of circumstances. For example, molybdenum deficiency may appear in a person fed entirely through the veins for a very long time, or in a person with a genetic problem in which the body cannot use the molybdenum that is eaten in foods.
Molybdenum is sold as a supplement in some health food stores and over the Internet. It is sold as sodium molybdate or ammonium molybdate in capsule form, usually combined with other nutrients. A typical dosage is 75 micrograms (µg or mcg) daily.
HISTORY
Knowledge of molybdenum dates back to the Middle Ages. Pure molybdenum was first produced in 1893. Serious research into molybdenum's importance in the human body began only within the past few decades. In 2001, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board established the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of molybdenum for most adults at 45 micrograms, with an RDA of 50 micrograms for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.
A large, randomized study was conducted in Linxian, an area of north central China whose residents have very high rates of esophageal and stomach cancers. Researchers gave more than 30,000 people one of several combinations of essential minerals and nutrients. One group received vitamin C and molybdenum. The scientists did not find any reductions in cancer mortality rates among those who received molybdenum. Some evidence suggested that the soil in Linxian, which contained low levels of molybdenum, may have led to the formation of chemicals in plants that increase the risk of cancers of the esophagus. More data is needed to find out whether there is a connection. A follow up study showed that there were fewer deaths from stroke in people who had gotten the vitamin C and molybdenum up to 10 years earlier. No effect on cancer was seen from this supplement.
Tetrathiomolybdate (a form of molybdenum that is different from the forms used in dietary supplements) is being tested as a cancer treatment. It is known that molybdenum depletes copper in the body, and copper is required for new blood vessels to be formed. This would mean that new tissues, including cancerous tumors, would not be able to grow. Some studies in mice show that tetrathiomolybdate might improve the response to breast cancer drugs, but human studies are required to find out whether this is true. Animal studies also suggest that tetrathiomolybdate might be helpful in reducing the heart and lung damage caused by some chemotherapy drugs. This possibility has not yet been studied in human clinical trials.
In 2003, researchers did a small study on people with advanced kidney cancer. Researchers gave tetrathiomolybdate (a form of molybdenum) to 15 patients to reduce the copper levels in their bodies. Even though no one had their cancer go away, 4 people's tumors stopped growing for 6 months. But some patients had anemia (low red blood cell counts) or low white blood cell counts due to the lack of copper and had to have their molybdenum doses reduced. The researchers noted that this approach might be useful if used along with other cancer treatments. They recommended large, well-controlled studies to look at tetrathiomolybdate more closely. However, a small 2006 study did not show a reduction in growth of advanced prostate cancer.
A study published in 2008 looked at people with malignant mesothelioma, testing tetrathiomolybdate as a follow-up treatment after surgery to remove the cancer. This very small study showed some survival improvement in people with stage 1 or 2 mesothelioma, but did not help those with later stage cancer. More study of tetrathiomolybdate along with standard mesothelioma treatment is needed to help confirm whether it can help others.
Dietary molybdenum deficiency from low soil concentration of molybdenum has been associated with increased rates of esophageal cancer in a geographical band from northern China to Iran. Compared to the United States, which has a greater supply of molybdenum in the soil, people living in these areas have about 16 times greater risk for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Molybdenum deficiency has also been reported as a consequence of non-molybdenum supplemented total parenteral nutrition (complete intravenous feeding) for long periods of time. It results in high blood levels of sulfite and urate, in much the same way as molybdenum cofactor deficiency. However, presumably since pure molybdenum deficiency from this mechanism is seen primarily in adults, the neurological consequences have not been as marked as for the congenital cofactor deficiency.
Molybdenum is a trace mineral that can assure good health and well being by providing a number of benefits:
- Studies suggest that Molybdenum may help strengthen the immune system.
- Molybdenum may also help induce a restful & restorative sleep.
- There are numerous claims and studies that suggest Molybdenum helps ease arthritis symptoms.
- Molybdenum helps to eliminate toxic nitrogen waste by turning it into uric acid.
- Molybdenum may assist in weight loss. It is instrumental in maintaining the pH balance in the body which affects the oxygen level and the body's ability to burn fat.
- It is a vital part of the enzyme systems and is necessary for the proper function of certain enzyme dependent processes, especially the metabolism of Iron
The average daily intake of molybdenum varies between 0.12 and 0.24 mg, but it depends on the molybdenum content of the food. Pork, lamb and beef liver each have approximately 1.5 parts per million of molybdenum. Other significant dietary sources include green beans, eggs, sunflower seeds, wheat flour, lentils, cucumbers and cereal grain. Acute toxicity has not been seen in humans, and the toxicity depends strongly on the chemical state. Studies on rats show a median lethal dose (LD50) as low as 180 mg/kg for some Mo compounds. Although human toxicity data is unavailable, animal studies have shown that chronic ingestion of more than 10 mg/day of molybdenum can cause diarrhea, growth retardation, infertility, low birth weight and gout; it can also affect the lungs, kidneys and liver. Sodium tungstate is a competitive inhibitor of molybdenum. Dietary tungsten reduces the concentration of molybdenum in tissues.
Molybdenum is an essential element in human nutrition, but its precise function and interactions with other chemicals in the body are not well understood. Some evidence suggests that too little molybdenum in the diet may be responsible for some health problems. Molybdenum is used to treat rare inherited metabolic diseases, such as Wilson's disease in which the body cannot process copper. More research is needed to learn whether it may have a role in preventing cancer and other diseases. It has shown promise in animal studies in reducing the harmful effects of certain cancer drugs on the heart and lungs.
Proponents claim molybdenum is an antioxidant that prevents cancer by protecting cells from free radicals, destructive molecules that may damage cells. Some supporters also claim that molybdenum prevents anemia, gout, dental cavities, and sexual impotence.
Food is the major source of molybdenum for most people. Common sources of molybdenum include legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils; grains; leafy vegetables; liver; and nuts. However, the amount of molybdenum in plants varies according to the amount in the soil.
Humans require very small amounts of molybdenum, and deficiency appears to happen only under the rarest of circumstances. For example, molybdenum deficiency may appear in a person fed entirely through the veins for a very long time, or in a person with a genetic problem in which the body cannot use the molybdenum that is eaten in foods.
Molybdenum is sold as a supplement in some health food stores and over the Internet. It is sold as sodium molybdate or ammonium molybdate in capsule form, usually combined with other nutrients. A typical dosage is 75 micrograms (µg or mcg) daily.
HISTORY
Knowledge of molybdenum dates back to the Middle Ages. Pure molybdenum was first produced in 1893. Serious research into molybdenum's importance in the human body began only within the past few decades. In 2001, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board established the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of molybdenum for most adults at 45 micrograms, with an RDA of 50 micrograms for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.
A large, randomized study was conducted in Linxian, an area of north central China whose residents have very high rates of esophageal and stomach cancers. Researchers gave more than 30,000 people one of several combinations of essential minerals and nutrients. One group received vitamin C and molybdenum. The scientists did not find any reductions in cancer mortality rates among those who received molybdenum. Some evidence suggested that the soil in Linxian, which contained low levels of molybdenum, may have led to the formation of chemicals in plants that increase the risk of cancers of the esophagus. More data is needed to find out whether there is a connection. A follow up study showed that there were fewer deaths from stroke in people who had gotten the vitamin C and molybdenum up to 10 years earlier. No effect on cancer was seen from this supplement.
Tetrathiomolybdate (a form of molybdenum that is different from the forms used in dietary supplements) is being tested as a cancer treatment. It is known that molybdenum depletes copper in the body, and copper is required for new blood vessels to be formed. This would mean that new tissues, including cancerous tumors, would not be able to grow. Some studies in mice show that tetrathiomolybdate might improve the response to breast cancer drugs, but human studies are required to find out whether this is true. Animal studies also suggest that tetrathiomolybdate might be helpful in reducing the heart and lung damage caused by some chemotherapy drugs. This possibility has not yet been studied in human clinical trials.
In 2003, researchers did a small study on people with advanced kidney cancer. Researchers gave tetrathiomolybdate (a form of molybdenum) to 15 patients to reduce the copper levels in their bodies. Even though no one had their cancer go away, 4 people's tumors stopped growing for 6 months. But some patients had anemia (low red blood cell counts) or low white blood cell counts due to the lack of copper and had to have their molybdenum doses reduced. The researchers noted that this approach might be useful if used along with other cancer treatments. They recommended large, well-controlled studies to look at tetrathiomolybdate more closely. However, a small 2006 study did not show a reduction in growth of advanced prostate cancer.
A study published in 2008 looked at people with malignant mesothelioma, testing tetrathiomolybdate as a follow-up treatment after surgery to remove the cancer. This very small study showed some survival improvement in people with stage 1 or 2 mesothelioma, but did not help those with later stage cancer. More study of tetrathiomolybdate along with standard mesothelioma treatment is needed to help confirm whether it can help others.
Dietary molybdenum deficiency from low soil concentration of molybdenum has been associated with increased rates of esophageal cancer in a geographical band from northern China to Iran. Compared to the United States, which has a greater supply of molybdenum in the soil, people living in these areas have about 16 times greater risk for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Molybdenum deficiency has also been reported as a consequence of non-molybdenum supplemented total parenteral nutrition (complete intravenous feeding) for long periods of time. It results in high blood levels of sulfite and urate, in much the same way as molybdenum cofactor deficiency. However, presumably since pure molybdenum deficiency from this mechanism is seen primarily in adults, the neurological consequences have not been as marked as for the congenital cofactor deficiency.
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