Boron Part 2

Boron has traditionally been used to boron deficiency, cancer, leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, vitamin D deficiency, and high cholesterol.

However, it is also theorized that boron supplements may play a role in antiaging and longevity strategies, i.e. boron may be helpful in assisting individuals to reach their optimal life expectancy.

Most people get 2 to 4 milligrams of boron each day from their food. Good dietary sources of boron are nuts, beans, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, dates, peanut butter, wine, and raisins.

There’s no Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for boron yet, but many nutritionists today suggest getting 3 milligrams a day. It’s probably best to stay under 10 milligrams per day, though, because levels higher than that begin to show an increase in boron toxicity symptoms, although toxicity is rare because this mineral is not stored in the body.

Boron toxicity, it should be noted, may cause hair loss, skin rash, nausea, blue-green vomiting or diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headache. Low blood pressure, irritability, weakness, lethargy, and depression fever, hyperthermia, tremors, and seizure have also been reported.

Although it’s easy to get boron from your diet, you may want to supplement with boron if you regularly use an antacid. Magnesium, a key ingredient in antacid tablets and milk of magnesia, may interfere with the effects of boron in the body. If you are using herbs to treat menopausal symptoms you might want to add boron supplements to the mix—boron may increase the effects of phytoestrogens such as alfalfa, black cohosh, bloodroot, burdock, hops, kudzu, licorice, pomegranate, red clover, saw palmetto, soy, thyme, and yucca. It may also increase the effects of testosterone-active drugs such as Testoderm.

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