Dietary boron: progress in establishing essential roles in human physiology.

This review summarizes the progress made in establishing essential roles for boron in human physiology and assesses that progress in view of criteria for essentiality of elements. The evidence to date suggests that humans and at least some higher animals may use boron to support normal biological functions. These include roles in calcium metabolism, bone growth and maintenance, insulin metabolism, and completion of the life cycle.

Calcium requirements of growing rats based on bone mass, structure, or biomechanical strength are similar.

Although calcium (Ca) supplementation increases bone density, the increase is small and the effect on bone strength and fracture risk is uncertain. To investigate if bone mass, morphology, and biomechanical properties are affected by deficient to copious dietary Ca concentrations, the long bones (tibia and femur) of growing female Sprague-Dawley rats (8/group) were assessed after 13 wk of consuming 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 g Ca/kg of a modified AIN-93G diet. Dietary phosphorous (P) and vitamin D remained constant at recommended concentrations.

Calcium requirements: new estimations for men and women by cross-sectional statistical analyses of calcium balance data from metabolic studies.

Background: Low intakes of calcium are associated with an increased risk of both osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To provide new estimates of the average calcium requirement for men and women, we determined the dietary calcium intake required to maintain neutral calcium balance.

Design: Calcium balance data [calcium intake -(fecal calcium + urinary calcium)] were collected from 155 subjects [women: n = 73; weight: 77.

Magnesium requirements: new estimations for men and women by cross-sectional statistical analyses of metabolic magnesium balance data.

Background: Current recommendations for magnesium requirements are based on sparse balance data.

Objective: To provide new estimates of the average magnesium requirement for men and women, we pooled magnesium data from 27 different tightly controlled balance studies conducted at the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND.

Design: Magnesium balance data (magnesium intake - [fecal magnesium + urinary magnesium]) (664 data points) were collected from 243 subjects (women: n = 150; weight: 71.

The selenium metabolite methylselenol inhibits the migration and invasion potential of HT1080 tumor cells.

There is increasing evidence for the efficacy of certain forms of selenium as cancer-chemopreventive compounds. Methylselenol has been hypothesized to be a critical selenium metabolite for anticancer activity in vivo. To determine whether tumor cell migration, invasion, and cell cycle characteristics are inhibited by methylselenol, we exposed HT1080 cells to methylselenol.

Boron concentrations in milk from mothers of exclusively breast-fed healthy full-term infants are stable during the first four months of lactation.

Because boron is a bioactive element that satisfies several of the criteria for essentiality in humans, the aim of the present work was to determine the profile of boron metabolism in human milk during the first 4 mo of lactation. The concentration of boron and other minerals was determined in archived milk collected (1980-84) 1 time/mo for 4 mo from lactating mothers of full-term, exclusively breast-fed infants living in Houston, TX. A linear model (treating month as a continuous variable) indicated that B concentrations were stable (P = 0.

Boron concentrations in milk from mothers of full-term and premature infants.

Background: Boron is a bioactive element that satisfies several of the criteria for essentiality in humans.

Objective: The objective was to establish the profile of boron metabolism in human milk.

Design: Lactating mothers of premature (PRT; n = 10, <2000 g birth weight, <37 wk gestation) and full-term (FT; n = 10, >2500 g, 39-41 wk gestation) infants living in St John's, Canada, collected milk samples once a week for 12 wk.

Transmembrane partitioning of boron and other elements in RAW 264.7 and HL60 cell cultures.

The trace element boron is essential for all higher plants and is beneficial or has been established as essential for several animal models of human nutrition. To help identify the biomolecules that require boron for function in humans, we determined whether intracellular boron is retained against a concentration gradient. Cells (Abelson leukemia virus BALB murine monocyte-macrophage RAW 264.

Dietary boron decreases peak pancreatic in situ insulin release in chicks and plasma insulin concentrations in rats regardless of vitamin D or magnesium status.

Because dietary boron deprivation induces hyperinsulinemia in vitamin D-deprived rats, the influence of dietary boron on insulin metabolism as modified by nutritional stressors was examined in two animal models. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to each of four (Experiment 1) or 8 (Experiment 2) dietary groups for 35 d: the basal diet (< 0.2 mg B; <1.