LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Boron: Calcium
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Beneficial Effects: Boron is a trace nutrient. But many Americans may not be getting enough in their diets. Boron is necessary for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. It probably does this by activating vitamin D and estrogen. One study showed that postmenopausal women who took 3mg. of boron a day decreased the amount of calcium lost in their urine and increased their estrogen levels.
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Boron is a trace mineral that has gained popularity in recent years due to claims that it can strengthen bones, build muscle mass, and boost brain activity. While such macrominerals as calcium, magnesium, and potassium have become household names because they make up over 98% of the body's mineral content, certain trace minerals are ... considered essential in very tiny amounts to maintain health and ensure proper functioning of the body. They usually act as coenzymes, working as a team with proteins to facilitate important chemical reactions. While boron is considered essential for plants, it is not known if the mineral is necessary for humans. Evidence has been mounting in the last two decades, however, that suggests boron may be an important micronutrient.
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Boron deprivation experiments with humans have yielded some persuasive findings for the hypothesis that boron is an essential nutrient. In the first nutritional study with humans involving boron, 12 postmenopausal women first were fed a diet that provided 0.25 mg boron/2000 kcal for 119 days, and then were fed the same diet with a boron supplement of 3 mg boron/day for 48 days. The boron supplementation reduced the total plasma concentration of calcium and the urinary excretions of calcium and magnesium, and elevated the serum concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone. This study was followed by one in which five men over the age of 45, four postmenopausal women, and five postmenopausal women on estrogen therapy were fed a boron-low diet (0.23 mg/2000 kcal) for 63 days, then fed the same diet supplemented with 3 mg boron/day for 49 days. The diet was low in magnesium (115 mg/2000 kcal) and marginally adequate in copper (1.6 mg/2000 kcal) throughout the study. This experiment found higher erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, serum enzymatic ceruloplasmin, and plasma copper during boron repletion than boron depletion.
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Boron never occurs as a free element but always as a compound. The most common minerals of boron are borax, or sodium borate (Na2B4O7); kernite (another form of sodium borate); colemanite, or calcium borate (Ca2B6O11); and ulexite, or sodium calcium borate (NaCaB5O9). These minerals usually occur as white crystalline deposits in desert areas. The two largest world producers of boron compounds are Turkey and the United States. Smaller amounts come from Argentina and China. Nearly all of the boron in the United States comes from three California counties: Kern, San Bernadino, and Inyo.
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Boron is widely present in soil and water, and may be an essential mineral for animals and humans. The dietary intake of boron is about 1 or 2 mg per day. Boron has the potential to influence a number of metabolic processes. An absolute requirement for boron has not been definitively demonstrated in animals and humans. However, experiments with boron supplementation or deprivation show that boron is involved in calcium and bone metabolism, and its effects are more marked when other nutrients (cholecalciferol, magnesium) are deficient. Boronated compounds have been shown to be potent anti-osteoporotic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, anti-coagulant and anti-neoplastic agents both in vitro and in vivo in animals.
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Boron is ... involved in processes that build and repair joints, giving it an important role in the prevention of arthritis. Boron also helps to prevent tooth decay, again because of its involvement in the metabolism of other essential minerals. Its ability to regulate calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus not only protects bones but also helps to keep teeth strong and healthy.
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