What does it do?
Vanadium is an ultra-trace mineral found in the human diet and body. It is essential for
some animals, and deficiency symptoms in these animals include growth retardation, bone
deformities, and infertility. However, vanadium has not yet been proven to be an essential
mineral for humans. Vanadium may play a role in building bones and teeth.
Vanadyl sulfate, a form of this mineral, may improve
glucose control in individuals with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), according to a
study of eight diabetics supplemented with 100 mg of the mineral daily for four weeks.1
However, the researchers of this study caution that the long-term safety of such large
doses of vanadium remains unknown. Many doctors of natural medicine expect future research
is likely to show that amounts this high will turn out to be unsafe.
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Are there any side effects
or interactions? Information about vanadium toxicity is limited. Workers
exposed to vanadium dust can develop toxic effects. High blood levels have been linked to
manic-depressive mental disorders, but the meaning of this remains uncertain.2
Vanadium sometimes inhibits, but at other times stimulates, cancer growth in animals. The
effect in humans remains unknown.3
Vanadium is not known to interact with other
nutrients.
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- At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug
interactions with vanadium.
References:
1. Boden G, Chen X, Ruiz J, et al. Effects of
vanadyl sulfate on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in patients with
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Metab Clin Exp 1996;45(9):1130–35.
2. Naylor GJ. Vanadium and manic depressive psychosis. Nutr Health
1984;3:79–85 [review].
3. Chakraborty A, Ghosh R, Roy K, et al. Vanadium: A modifier of drug metabolizing enzyme
patterns and its critical role in cellular proliferation in transplantable murine
lymphoma. Oncology 1995;52:310–14.
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