Low-Mineral Water Diminishes the Bone Benefits of Boron.

Nutrients

Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.

Published: August 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • This study investigated the effects of desalinated seawater, which contains low minerals and high boron levels, on bone health in mice, since previous research shows mixed results.
  • Mice were divided into groups and given water with different boron concentrations while living in a warm, humid environment and exercising, allowing researchers to evaluate changes over 13 weeks.
  • Results indicated that while low to moderate boron levels initially improved bone health, high levels were detrimental, and co-exposure to purified water reduced boron's positive effects, highlighting the need to consider water's mineral content in health studies related to boron.

Article Abstract

This study looked at how desalinated seawater, which has low minerals and high boron, could affect bone health. Prior research suggests that low mineral water may harm bone health and boron could be beneficial, but the overall impact on bone health is still unclear. Eighty-nine-week-old male Balb/C mice were allocated into eight groups and administered either tap water or purified water with varying boron concentrations (0, 5, 40, and 200 mg/L). They were kept in an environment mimicking tropical conditions (35-40 °C, 70-80% humidity) and underwent daily treadmill exercise for 13 weeks. At the 14th week, serum, femora, and lumbar vertebrae were collected for mineral metabolism, bone biomarker, microstructure, and biomechanics evaluation. Boron exposure improved bone formation, microstructure, and biomechanics initially but the benefits weakened with higher levels of exposure ( < 0.05). Co-exposure to purified water elevated serum boron but weakened the promotion of boron on bone minerals and the bone benefits of boron compared to tap water ( < 0.05). Thus, when studying the health effects of boron in desalinated seawater, it is crucial to look at various health effects beyond bone health. Furthermore, it is important to consider the mineral composition of drinking water when using boron for bone health benefits.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11397211PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu16172881DOI Listing

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