What is Molybdenum?
Molybdenum is an important mineral which the body needs only in small quantities to maintain health. This essential trace mineral is concentrated mostly in the kidneys, liver, glands, and spinal bones (vertebrae). It is also found, however, in the skin, muscles, lungs, spleen and the tooth enamel.
Molybdenum is present in water and soil, and the mineral content in food depends on the amount of molybdenum found in the soil where they come from. It has been found that people who live in some areas where soil has low amounts of molybdenum suffer from molybdenum deficiency and are more likely to have certain types of cancer than others.
Most of the molybdenum content of food consumed is absorbed in the intestines and exits the body through the urine.
Molybdenum Food Sources
Excellent molybdenum nutrition comes mostly from plant sources but the amount varies with soil content. Plants foods that contain significant amounts of molybdenum include garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), green beans, pinto beans, lentils, and dried peas. Other food sources include pork, beef liver, lamb, eggs, wheat flour, cereal grain, brown rice, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, nuts and leafy, dark green vegetables.
What is Molybdenum Used For?
Molybdenum promotes normal functioning of the cell as well as the whole body. The body uses molybdenum for many important functions, but mainly as a coenzyme that helps catalyze important chemical reactions. It works as an ezyme cofactor for xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and sulfite oxidase, which play important roles in metabolizing carbohydrate, utilizing iron, uric acid formation, and liver detoxification.
Molybdenum works with vitamin B2 (riboflavin) to facilitate the incorporati...
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... Dosage (ug/day)
Infants 0-6 months 2
Infants 7-12 mths 3
Children 1-3 yrs 17
Children 4-8 yrs 22
9-13 yrs 34
14-18 yrs 43
Adults 45
Pregnant/lactating women 50
Doctors may recommend higher doses when using molybdenum for therapeutic purposes, but toxicity levels must be kept in mind.
Works Cited
Health Supplements Nutritional Guide. Molybdemum. http://www.healthsupplementsnutritionalguide.com/Molybdenum.html
WebMD. Molybdenum. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1249-molybdenum.aspx?activeIngredientId=1249&activeIngredientName=molybdenum&source=1
Vitamins & health supplements guide. Molybdenum supplements. http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/dietary-minerals/molybdenum.php
- Helps decreases inflammation in the body, which helps to prevent diseases, build a strong immune system, and treat current disease
Magnesium is an important element necessary healthy bones and teeth. The use of all muscles, and nerves convert it into energy for daily living. It is also instrumental in maintaining adequate levels of calcium in the blood. Having a therapeutic magnesium level helps prevent cardiovascular disease and reduces the risk of bone loss. The body of the adult human contains about 2000 mEq of Mg. Half of this amount stays within the skeleton and the other half in soft tissues (Wacker and Parisi 1968). The normal concentration in the blood is somewhere in the ranges of 1.7-2.3 mg/dL (Magnesium, 2013)
Molybdenum use increased a lot during World War I, when demand for tungsten made tungsten rare, and strong steels were at expensive. Molybdenum is used in aircraft and missile parts, and in filaments. Molybdenum acts as a catalyst in the petroleum industry for removing organic sulfurs from petroleum products.
Beans and Legumes - black beans, chick peas, lentils, lima beans, peanuts, kidney beans, and soybeans
Distribution of Mn in the body is dependent on the mitochondrial content of tissues, with the greatest deposition in mitochondrial-rich tissues such as bone, liver, kidneys, pituitary gland, and pancreas (J. Freeland-Graves., 2005). The liver plays a major role in the excretion of surplus Mn, and helps in maintenance of Mn homeostasis (C. Davis 1992). Excess Mn is secreted into the bile by the liver, and subsequently excreted through the feces (EFSA, 2013). Thus, hepatic dysfunction may result in Mn imbalance, thereby causing deficiency or toxicity of this mineral (J. Crossgrove and W. Zheng 2004). Alternatively, Mn can be excreted through pancreatic juices and be reabsorbed into the lumen of duodenum and jejunum (R. Allinson 1978). Excretion of Mn via urine is of less significance, and appears to be independent of diet intake (J.H. Freeland-Graves 1988).
Our chicken sandwich has, by now, been broken down into digestible nutrients. The pancreatic juices have broken down the carbohydrates in the bread into monosaccharides (such as glucose and galactose) which leave the enterocyte by facilitated diffusion and enter the rich network of capillaries. They are transported in the blood stream and cross into the cytoplasm by Na+ cotransporters. Amino acids are moved to the circulation by facilitated diffusion. Lipids from the butter are broken down into fatty acids by lipases and are then absorbed across the cell membrane into the cytosol where they are reassembled into lipoprotein particles called chylomicrons. These are carried through lymphatic channels and into the circulation via the thoracic duct. The bloodstream carries simple sugars, glycerol, amino acids, and a number of salts and vitamins to the liver. The lymphatic system, a network of vessels that carry white blood cells and lymph fluid throughout the body, absorbs fatty acids and
Try to imagine yourself, sitting at lunch, enjoying your sandwich and a few strawberries along the way. Once you are done your delicious meal, you take one last drink of orange juice and head to your next class. In a few minutes you are thinking about your upcoming visit to the mall. You've completely forgotten about that sandwich you had just ate. But it is still sitting in your stomach!! Now how does this work, how did your body absorb all that food? It all goes back to the digestive system.
...ium at its normal state, room temperature-solid metal. It is almost impossible to imagine that people ingest potassium in forms of pills and foods for health benefits.
Imagine you are eating a sandwich containing wheat bread, ham, lettuce, and Swiss cheese. Do you ever wonder where the nutrients go from all of the previous listed ingredients? Well, when a bite of this sandwich is taken, the mouth produces a saliva enzyme called amylase. This enzyme immediately goes to work by breaking down the carbohydrates that are in the bread. Once, the bite is completely chewed, the contents then are swallowed and go down the esophagus and begin to head towards the upper esophageal sphincter and the is involuntarily pushed towards the stomach. The next passage for the sandwich is to go through the lower esophageal sphincter; which transports the sandwich into the stomach.
During digestion, the body breaks down food into smaller molecules that could then be used by the body’s cells and tissues in order to perform functions. This starts off in the mouth with the physical movements of chewing and the chemical breakdown by saliva. Enzymes in the stomach break food down further after traveling from the mouth through the esophagus. The food from here then moves into the small intestine, where pancreatic juices and enzymes dissolve proteins, carbohydrates, and fibers, and bile from the liver breaks down fats into these small molecules. Any portion of the fibers or food that were unable to be broken down are passed from the small intestine to the large intestine, which is where the digestive tract transitions into the excretory tract, then the colon and out of the rectum. Any liquids that have been stripped of their nutrients by the body proceed from the stomach to the kidneys. In the kidneys, sodium ions (Na+), uric acid, and urea are exchanged with water, which moves urinary bladder and is excreted through the
Provide muscle energy, fuel for the nerve system, the fat metabolism and protect the protein to been used as energy
Potassium is one of the most important elements in human diet. To begin with, potassium works with sodium for various reasons. For example, it helps to regulate body waste, control heart rhythms, and assist in reducing high blood pressure. It also aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain. This element is crucial to the maintenance of the nervous system and the muscular system. Potassium is an electrolyte, and therefor regulates the balance of fluids inside and outside the cells, including blood.
Selenium is often used in the production of stainless steel, energy converters, photo copy machines and surprisingly, medical use. In fact, selenium is very beneficial to the human body and is essential to our everyday lives. It is a mineral that protects the elasticity in body tissues, decreases/slows down the aging process, and as well as enhances the flow of oxygen to the heart. In addition, selenium aids the body with producing special proteins called antioxidant enzymes which decrease and/or prevent cell damage.
Phosphorus is also a building block of certain parts like bones and teeth (Ruttenberg, 2003).
Minerals (micronutrient), there are various minerals and each group plays a different role, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P) all help to harden bones and teeth. Iron (Fe) plays a crucial role in haemoglobin (Hb). Potassium (K), sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) are all helpful in maintaining the bodies PH balance and are all used in action potential (Grammarly,