The Best Form of Boron Supplement
Boron is an element that every American and the majority of people all over the world need. You might ask why? The majority of the population above 30 years old lose more calcium in urine than they ingest. Boron Glycinate helps the body to use calcium effectively and prevents its loss through urine. Boron also helps in regulating the hormone ratios and levels in our bodies. We simply can’t live without boron. But some need supplementation more than others. Well talk about the best form of boron supplement as well as why we need boron.
Boron is extensively used in industries for the production of glass, ceramic-wares, manufacture of detergents, insecticide and bleaching agents. It is also vital mineral for plants. Boron glycinate normally gets into the body through the foods we eat. It was not until the early 1980’s that boron got accepted as an essential element in the human body.
Since then, studies have been ongoing to know the roles it plays in the body and how its efficiency can be increased. Boron glycinate supplements are in the form of either liquid or tablets. Most people prefer Liquid Boron supplements since they have high absorption rate in the body. Take these supplements in moderation due to the fact to that boron toxicity is a real thing.
Also, boron is an essential nutrient in our bodies since it helps in the metabolism of a wide variety of other nutrients including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Not forgetting that it helps in maintaining optimum levels of estrogen. According to scientific researchers, estrogen helps in bone maintenance and other mental as well as body systems as we shall see shortly.
Contents
The role of boron in our bodies:
- Bone growth as well as maintenance
- Heal and correct damages on the skin and DNA cells
- Production of hormones: It leads to an increase in testosterone levels and reduces the estrogen levels plus many other hormones.
- Magnesium absorption
- Brain functionality and proper growth of the nervous system
- Helps in the proper functioning of the thyroid glands
- Neutrons absorption
- Raising testosterone levels
- Lowering SHBG
- Correction of conditions related to osteoporosis and arthritis
- Reducing the pain associated with menstruation in young women
- Fighting vaginal infection and vaginitis, especially the boric acid brands
- Boron for arthritis patients
Recommended Boron Intake Method:
As we have previously indicated, boron can either be introduced in our bodies through the food we eat or by ingesting supplements. Look for the best forms of boron supplements from reputable sellers if you decide to go the supplement route. If you are wondering where to buy boron supplements, we shall be outlining the best sellers after a while.
The best form of boron supplement is in dry pill form. Liquid and droppers can work but you get more absorption in pill form and get much more boron for your money than boron diluted in water or a solution.
Boron is an element. That means that it can’t be broken down into anything else. This is what boron looks like.
Most of the boron we get in our body comes from boron glycinate. You don’t need fancy tinctures or droppers. You really do need boron to support brain function. But dry pill form is the best form of boron supplement. All pill forms that you buy will already have the silica as part of the compound.
A boron supplement should be taken once daily at the recommended rate of approximately 5mg per day. However, for some application like the treatment of vaginal infections and reduction of menstrual period pains, you can go with double or triple this amount. A dosage of more than 20mg per day can be bad for the body. These can be identified through skin peeling, inflammation, weakness, irritability, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and vomiting.
It is advisable to take boron glycinate together with silica since it adds synergy and functionality of the nutrient element. However, if you fall in any of the below-outlined categories, please seek medical advice before starting any boron supplement. In any case, any nutritional supplement intake requires the prescription of a nutritionist or a medical doctor if you are:
- Expectant Mothers
- Lactating Mothers
- Sensitive medical condition patient like in case of diabetes
- Cancer patients
- Kidney disease patients
Where Does Boron Come From?
Boron is released into the atmosphere from commercial use and from oceans, rock weathering, volcanoes, coal combustion, and forest fires. The glass, ceramic, detergent, and fertilizer industries use boron for commercial applications, leading to a large release of boron into the environment. The amount of available boron in soils varies with the soil type, fertilizers used, pH, and temperature.
Foods Rich in Boron
Boron deficiency in our cultivation soil makes the resultant plants to be deficient in the mineral. Thus, irrespective of the fact that nowadays it is hard to get the Boron nutrients from the food we eat, it is wise mentioning some of them that are rich in boron just in case you do not have the best form of boron supplement.
Drinking purified water can also strip our bodies of essential minerals. Reverse osmosis and distilled water will actually reverse the role of water in the delivery of nutrients; instead, it will act as a way of flushing out minerals from our bodies. This forces our body to take the minerals from the bones and body muscles which leaves our body system weak.
Best Foods for Boron
Most fruits, seeds, stalks, or barks have high concentrations of boron except for citrus fruits, berries, and pineapple.
Apples and Pears are among the fruits commonly consumed that are highest in Boron concentration. But there are others that have good amounts of boron.
- Apples
- Pears
- Chickpeas
- Almonds
- Beans
- Vegetables
- Bananas
- Walnuts
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Prunes
- Oranges
- Red grapes
- Legumes
Why You Should Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Boron
Boron deficiency symptoms have been seen in rats, chickens, and humans. Boron deprivation in animals leads to impaired growth and abnormal
bone development. Deprivation in humans and animals causes increased urinary calcium excretion. Other boron deficiency symptoms may result from an altered macromineral status. For example, boron deficiency exacerbates the signs of vitamin D3 deficiency (e.g., abnormal bone formation and poor growth
A low-magnesium diet exacerbated the deficiency symptoms of boron in rats, resulting in reduced growth and enlarged kidney and spleen as determined by ratio of organ to body weight.
Low levels of dietary boron among certain animals have been observed to result in developmental abnormalities. Studies on humans have not demonstrated that low boron intakes cause developmental abnormalities, but there is evidence that dietary boron benefits human health.
The Best Form of Boron Supplements: Recommendations
A typical diet would supply approximately 2.5mg of Boron per day. There are no specific measures that have been proposed per day for liquid Boron or capsules dosage but less than 10mg is ideal. However, being a trace element and one that we do not require in large quantities, just a small intake might be enough. Some of the best brands for Boron supplements are:
- Twinlab boron capsules: It is a product from Twinlab Corporation which is a company that has operated for more than 50 years. The company is based in America and it mostly deals with innovative products related to health and bodybuilding. You cannot definitely go wrong with the products from renowned manufacturers who have withstood market pressure for over 5 decades. Since this brand has calcium additives as well as co-factors, it is good boron for arthritis.
- Vibrant health supernatural boron: It is a brand of vibrant health, and as they claim in their portfolio, it’s made from natural products and mostly Broccoli powder. It is specially designed for calcium retention as well as a patented calcium fructoborate. It is a non-GMO product that supports joint and skeletal growth. As such it is also one of the preferred boron for arthritis in the market.
- TMR ionic liquid boron: This is a brand from Trace Minerals Research who claims to be the number one American supplier for trace mineral supplements. Their liquid Boron is enriched with more than 72 ionic minerals from lake salt. In addition, it has magnesium, sulfate, potassium, and chloride. They have been in the market for more than 40 years and thus there is no worry as far as the brand is concerned.
- Pure encapsulations boron glycinate: Pure encapsulation is a nutritional supplement based company that brands itself for zero compromises and pure results. They claim their boron glycinate supplement contains zero gluten, magnesium stearate, artificial colors, zero coatings, artificial sweeteners, zero hydrogenated fat and GMO-free. The raw materials are sourced from only selected suppliers who have to undergo a rigorous vetting and testing process. They offer the best value for money.
Where to buy boron supplements
Amazon stores: This is an American based company that is the largest online retailer in the world in terms of market capitalization. They have a wide selection of items and a simple selection process for the consumers. This is a major stopover for all those looking where to buy boron supplements.
Walmart: Walmart is the largest company in the world in terms of revenue. It is an American multinational company that deals in a wide variety of products including but not limited to food supplements. They have excellent delivery system and a same day delivery mechanism for orders placed in time.
Evitamins.com: This is a site offering a collection of vitamin brand supplements from many manufacturers all over the world. Majority of their selection are capsules and thus compared to liquid boron, it is hard to get boron toxicity when taking them as capsules. In most of the times, one capsule is enough.
EBay: This is an online retail outlet for various small businesses and has no geographical restrictions. As such you can get a variety of boron supplement from manufacturers all over the world. The only disadvantage with eBay is the presence of many resellers.
Ways of Testing the Absorption of Boron:
Since we have already discussed the major sources of born supplement, you can take the initiative to source for a brand of your choice. After consumption, you might have to take either a urine test or hair test to determine the amount of boron in your hairs and see whether it has improved. A urine test will also show whether excretion of other minerals like calcium has gone down. In all cases, avoid boron toxicity.
Benefits of Boron on the Brain
Boron is so critical for brain function. Multiple studies have proven this.
Low dietary boron resulted in significantly poorer performance on tasks emphasizing manual dexterity; eye-hand coordination ; attention; perception; encoding and short-term memory; and long-term memory. The data from these studies indicate that boron may play a role in human brain function and cognitive performance, and provide additional evidence that boron is an essential nutrient for humans
Although many report that boron helps cognitive function, attention, and memory we don’t have any scientific study that suggests boron can help with Alzheimer’s or dementia. For those with either of these diseases vitamin E or ginkgo biloba would probably be more beneficial.
Boron and its effect for Alzheimer and Dementia patients can be found here:
If we have any reliable scientific information about supplements to
preserve or improve memory and other mental skills, it has come from
clinical trials involving people at risk of mental decline or who have
already developed Alzheimer’s disease. In these studies, people have
been assigned at random to take either the supplement or an inactive
placebo pill.
Dr. Marshall says that in large, well-designed clinical trials, only
high doses of vitamin E have been shown to modestly help people who
already have moderate dementia. In contrast, a growing number of
clinical trials have failed to document a benefit to the mind or memory
from the herbal supplement ginkgo biloba. The latest, in the October
2012 Lancet Neurology, found that ginkgo extract did not slow the
decline of older adults into dementia.
What to remember about Boron:
Boron is a trace element required by our bodies for a variety of reasons. For example, it helps in the proper formation of bones which are the central areas for the production of blood cells. Without blood, a body cannot run. You can get the Boron nutrients from either the daily foods we eat or from boron supplements that are available in various stores like Walmart.
Liquid boron is the preferred choice for a majority of people because it has a higher absorption rate. The best form of boron supplements in the market today have packaging of different sizes and thus it is hard to miss whatever fits your budget. However, despite what you now know, we strongly recommend getting advice from a nutritionist before starting on any supplement.
References:
- Cold, F., Health, E., Disease, H., Management, P., Conditions, S., & Problems, S. et al. (2018). Boron: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-894/boron
- RE, N. (2018). Essentiality of boron for healthy bones and joints. – PubMed – NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7889887
- Boron Uses: Boosts Bone Density and Much More – Dr. Axe. (2018). Retrieved from https://draxe.com/boron-uses/
- Pizzorno, L. (2018). Nothing Boring About Boron. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712861/
Boron absouletly makes your brain function better. I’ve been on some type of boron supplement since high school (14 years ago) and don’t know what I’d do without it. I realize that not everyone needs boron but my family certainly does!