The Bountiful Benefits of Boron
Part I
Reading about different health concepts can sometimes sound like a broken record. I read about the same things over and over again thinking ok, I get it! But every once in awhile I stumble onto something that isn’t mainstream, and once I research it, I’m baffled as to why it isn’t talked about from the rooftops like other subjects.
I’m talking about BORON!
After reading this pubmed paper on boron, I’m stumped as to why this isn’t being looked into more by doctors and prescribed more by functional medicine practitioners.
In the paper Nothing Boring About Boron, 11 amazing benefits are listed that run the gamut of increasing our health. From strengthening bones to improving cognitive performance to protecting you from cancer, this trace mineral seems to do it all! We’ll go through the 11 benefits in this paper and why they are important. But first…
What Is Boron?
Boron is a trace mineral found in food and in the soil. In plants, it is necessary for the structural integrity of the cell wall. It has antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. Because of this, boron was used as a food preservative during World Wars I and II.
At this point, there is no RDA set for boron.
Different body tissues have different concentrations of boron. The highest concentrations are found in bone, nails and hair.
Fun little fact, most of the earth’s boron is in Turkey – the country, not the bird.
Let’s dive into some of the amazing benefits of this overlooked mineral!
Benefit #1 Boron is essential for the growth and maintenance of bone
Osteoporosis is a serious problem usually starting after menopause for women, but bone loss affects both genders as we age. It is however more common in women from the decrease in estrogen and also if the ovaries have been removed. Other factors are too little exercise, smoking, or alcoholism. Drugs such as proton pump inhibitors, chemotherapy, SSRI’s, and steroids can also increase your risk.
Boron to the rescue!
In a 28 day trial on menopausal women, 3mg of boron supplementation greatly reduced the calcium loss present in their urine – by 44%! That’s huge!
A direct quote from the paper states:
“ Boron supplementation has repeatedly been shown to markedly reduce urinary excretion of both calcium and magnesium and to increase serum levels of estradiol and calcium absorption in peri- and postmenopausal women.”
We can take all the calcium and magnesium we want, but does it matter if it doesn’t get absorbed and used by our body? Boron supplementation with calcium and magnesium makes sense!
Arthritic bones were found to have boron levels at 3 ppm. Healthy ones had 30 to 50 ppm. Sounds like not having enough is bad news for bone health!
Boron has been shown to change gene expression and turn on the mineralization of bones, which the exact opposite happens as we age. Boron leads to not only great bone health, but also our next benefit…
Benefit #2 Boron Greatly Improved Wound Healing
A study done on patients in a surgical intensive care unit had astounding results. Their wounds were treated with a 3% boric acid solution. They healed three times faster than the other patients treated with other antiseptics! Healing three times faster is good for:
-the patient, less stress on their body and less chance of them developing a secondary infection from staying in the hospital
-the overworked health care system, less time in intensive care so money, people and resources can be used elsewhere
-the families involved with these patients, less stress, less money spent on recovery
Boron also decreases elastase. Elastase breaks down elastin which is part of connective tissue. Too much elastase can result in the loosening of tight junctions in cells (think leaky gut) and cause other damage to tissues. This study suggests that elastase increases as we age. Could that be one of the reasons why we start to sag everywhere? Our bodies break down the elastin faster than we can can build it back up? If that’s true, I’m all for down regulating elastase!
Boron was demonstrated to have:
“ remarkable regulation in favor of osteoblastic function for Collagen type I (COL I)”
A defect in the COL I gene is one of the collagens that can be malformed with Ehlers Danlos, so you can bet I’ll be taking my boron regularly. Collagen production slows with everyone as they age, regardless of their genetic predispositions. So upregulating type I collagen could benefit more than just those with genetic connective tissue disorder.
Benefit #3 Boron Beneficially impacts the Body’s Use Of Estrogen, Testosterone, and Vitamin D
The loss of hormones as we age not only makes us feel old, it leaves the door wide open for age related diseases.
Some studies have shown that for postmenopausal women adding boron can help double your hormones! Think about that! At a time when women are suffering from symptoms related to depleted of hormones and are told to just “deal with it” from their doctors, a simple supplement doubled their hormones.
For those of you who are estrogen dominant, boron seems to raise them in concert. So all hormones get a boost, estrogen doesn’t rise out of control, because the other hormones aren’t being left behind. And ladies, if you think you don’t want the testosterone, think again. We need some to maintain muscle mass as we age. Also, too low testosterone will contribute to fat accumulation and all the disease related issues with that.
Free testosterone more than doubled in men! This is important since low testosterone levels in men can contribute to weight gain, depression, loss of bone and insomnia. Ironically, testosterone replacement can also cause insomnia so why not just grab some boron?
It’s important to note that boron increases free testosterone. 98% of testosterone is bound to proteins in the blood and can’t be used. So increasing the type that can be used is essential to good health.
Vitamin D is crucial to strong bones, preventing depression, reducing high blood pressure, and for good brain function. This study suggests that vitamin d deficiency is a global problem among all age groups.
How does boron increase vitamin D? In short, it increases the time it circulates in the blood as well as its bioavailability.
Benefit #4 Boron boost Magnesium Absorption
Magnesium is a mineral crucial to our health. Deficiencies can contribute to muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, and osteoporosis. Doctors speculate that a lack of magnesium can increase anxiety and depression. Not enough magnesium can promote high blood pressure, asthma, heart arrhythmia, migraines and seizures. Low magnesium can worsen insulin resistance, a metabolic state that can precede diabetes. This is by no means an exhaustive list since magnesium is needed for over 300 different functions in the body!
Boron assists in magnesium absorption and our body’s ability to use it.
In Part II, we will explore a few more of the benefits of boron.