References - Abstracts of 50 Published Papers
(Articles 1 - 10 of 50)
Here are just a few representative abstracts of the over 29.000 published medical research papers dealing with the trace elements in the archives of the (US) National Library Of Medicine.
Please note that the diseases found to respond to the nutritional trace elements - either negatively by their absence, or positively by their presence - include the following wide range of diseases: This is the more remarkable since these are only a handful of papers covering only a handful of the 72+ trace elements.
"Children with hyperactivity, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, a range of cancers, disorders of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, goitre, Down's Syndrome, mental retardation, Keshan, Alzheimer's, Itai-Itai, and Minamata diseases, hepatic fibrosis, liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, cholestasis, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, breast cancer, the breakdown of the immune system, "the high number of human pathologies characterized by alterations in the zinc pool", the aging process itself, and the major homeostatic mechanisms of the body, i.e., the nervous, neuroendocrine and immune systems." (The last three items pretty well cover the whole works of our bodies).
Please also bear in mind that the biomedical sciences are just discovering that we need far more than the 8 long known trace elements in our nutrition. And while 16 trace elements are now recognized as essential, beyond this, the new field of the "ultra trace elements" is in wild disarray, with many researchers clinging safely to the known trace elements, while others are either cautiously or courageously forging ahead. It all comes down to how tolerant the particular professor is to investigations beyond the known.
Many people find it difficult to believe that a single simple thing - as the inclusion of some seafood in one's daily diet - can be supremely effective against such a wide range of diseases. Well, here is hard, scientific proof - and the handful of trace elements investigated here are still a very long way from the complete natural range of the 72+ trace elements. And the range of responsive diseases will only broaden the more trace elements are investigated.
Please also note that the first paper mentioned here is one of the still very rare papers which recognizes 72 elements, of which 68 are trace elements. And although it does not consider any diseases, the Japanese are very aware that they have the highest life expectancy, and the lowest incidence of diseases in the world. And this article is one of the, as yet, very few efforts to establish a 'baseline' of all the trace elements involved in human metabolism.
All of the following references have been obtained from
| PubMedline |
the public archives of the National Library of Medicine
[1] Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi - 1994 Dec;49(5):924-934
Analysis of trace elements in biological materials by microwave induced plasma-mass
spectrometry.
[Article in Japanese]
Shinohara A, Chiba M, Inaba Y
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Juntendo University School of
Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract: Analytical conditions have been established for determination of trace elements in biological materials by microwave induced plasma-mass spectrometry (MIP-MS). Possible elemental contaminants were checked in the water and reagents used, and during the wet-ashing process. Among 72 elements tested, contamination by Na, Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Ba, and Pb were observed. This contamination was estimated to occur mainly during the process of preparing samples due to the water, reagents and surroundings. Contamination by Ca, Mg, Zn and Pb from tubes for storage was also observed. Adequate conditions for multi-element analyses in plasma and bone samples were evaluated. Both plasma and bone samples were digested by the wet-ashing technique before applying MIP-MS. The recovery rates of elements added were decreased depending on the contents of plasma or bone samples in the measuring solutions. The interfering effects of matrix modification due to organs were improved by correction with an internal standard. Recovery rates of elements added, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Ba, Pb and fourteen lanthanide elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu) were within 100 +/- 5% in analytical samples containing 1% volume of human plasma when Ga or Tl was used as the internal standard. Recoveries of Sn and Zn in the bone samples containing 0.1% bone as the original bone material, however, were 100 +/- 10% even after correction by the internal standard, suggesting the necessity of combined use of standard addition methods. The concentrations of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Mg, and Ca in plasma from two healthy women were determined by MIP-MS. The data were consistent with the values reported elsewhere, and agreed very closely with those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. The accuracy of the values obtained by this method was confirmed using standard reference materials. These results indicate that MIP-MS is a useful method for multielement determination of biological materials.
[2] Psychiatr Pol - 1994 May;28(3):345-353
Deficiency of certain trace elements in children with hyperactivity.
[Article in Polish]
Kozielec T, Starobrat-Hermelin B, Kotkowiak L
Zakladu Medycyny Rodzinnej Pomorskiej Akademii Medycznej.
The magnesium, zinc, copper, iron and calcium level of plasma, erythrocytes, urine and hair in 50 children aged from 4 to 13 years with hyperactivity, were examined by AAS. The average concentration of all trace elements was lower compared with the control group--healthy children from Szczecin. The highest deficit was noted in hair. Our results show that it is necessary to supplement trace elements in children with hyperactivity.
[3] Clin Endocrinol Metab - 1985 Aug;14(3):703-724
Therapeutic uses of trace elements.
Taylor A
The properties of trace elements which feature in their therapeutic activity are: binding to macromolecules (enzymes, nucleic acids, etc.) with disturbance of biological function, and interaction with other elements. These properties, particularly the binding to large molecules, are far from specific, an observation which is reflected in the very wide range of diseases in which trace elements are employed. While metal compounds have been
administered for several centuries, the scientific basis for treatment with trace elements began with the use of gold compounds, initially in patients with tuberculosis and later those with rheumatoid arthritis. Although many other drugs have been developed, some of which also include metal complexes, gold has retained an important position in the treatment of this condition. The gold-induced effects upon the immunological aspects of RA are also observed in other conditions with autoimmune involvement. The antineoplastic potential of metal complexes will be further exploited by the development of less toxic compounds--of platinum and possibly also of other metals. At the same time there are improvements in the protocols for administration which increase the range of cancers responding to treatment. Perturbation of gastrointestinal activity represents another area where trace elements have an important therapeutic role, both in the control of intraluminal acidity and in the adjustment of nutrient availability. A fourth significant area of trace element therapeutics involves the central nervous system where the use of lithium has provided spectacular results in the treatment of affective and other disorders. With a very wide range of other conditions in which they are employed, therapeutic uses provide somewhat unusual illustrations of the importance of trace elements in human disease.
[4] Soc Sci Med - 1989;29(8):923-926
Geology, trace elements and health.
Warren HV
Department of Geological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Both animal and vegetable life depend for their existence on appropriate amounts of various trace elements, albeit in very small amounts. This paper lists some of these trace elements and the ailments in which they play an important role. The elements discussed are gold, platinum, copper, lead, zinc, aluminium, silica, mercury, cadmium, selenium, arsenic, and iodine. The diseases involved range from multiple sclerosis, various cancers, arthritis, goitre, Down's Syndrome, and mental retardation. Less well known are Keshan, Alzheimer's, Itai-Itai, and Minamata diseases. Of particular interest in the latter part of the twentieth century is the discovery that serious deficiencies of either copper or zinc in the diet of animals may break down their immune defence mechanisms. The ability of certain plants selectively to concentrate particular heavy metals in their tissues and pollen is discussed.
[5] Nippon Rinsho - 1996 Jan;54(1):85-92
Liver diseases and essential trace elements. [Article in Japanese]
Suzuki K, Oyama R, Hayashi E, Arakawa Y
Department of Internal Medicine, Surugadai Nihon University Hospital.
The significance of the biochemical and nutritional roles of trace elements is widely recognized, since metals are found as constituent components of many metalloproteins and metalloenzymes. Some trace elements such as copper act as cofactors against hepatic fibrosis in chronic liver diseases, particularly in the biosynthesis of collagen. As the disease progress from chronic hepatitis to liver cirrhosis, serum calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus and zinc concentrations decrease, while the copper concentration increases. In the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, serum concentrations of trace elements are similar to those of liver cirrhosis. In the patients with acute hepatitis, serum calcium, magnesium and zinc concentrations decrease, while phosphorus, iron and copper concentrations decrease. These trace element abnormalities may reflect such pathological conditions as liver dysfunction, cholestasis, hepatic fibrosis or liver regeneration.
[6] Biol Trace Elem Res - 1994 Dec;46(3):185-202
An elemental correlation study in cancerous and normal breast tissue with successive clinical stages by neutron activation analysis.
Garg AN, Singh V, Weginwar RG, Sagdeo VN
Department of Chemistry, Nagpur University, India.
Abstract: Influence of trace elements in body metabolism and their physiological importance in various diseases have motivated their accurate and quantitative determination in biological tissues and fluids. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) using short and long term irradiation has been employed to determine five minor elements (Cl, K, Na, Mg, P) and 15 trace elements (As, Br, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Rb, Sb, Se, Sc, Sr, and Zn) in cancerous and normal breast tissue from 30 patients of four clinical stages. Several elements show enhancement in cancerous breast tissue. Selenium shows maximum enhancement of 94.7% followed by K (81.6%), Sc (66.7%), Cu (58.2%) Na (48.5%), P (44.4%), and Zn (39.2%). Some elements, such as Fe, Cr, and Mn, are depressed by 30.8, 30.1, and 12.8%, respectively. These elements compete for binding sites in the cell, change its enzymatic activity and exert direct or indirect action on the carcinogenic process accelerating the growth of tumors. This is further evidenced by histopathological examination of cancerous cells showing poor cytological differentiation. An attempt has been made to correlate trace element concentrations of Se, Cu, Zn, Rb, Br, Hg, As, Co, Fe, Cr, and Mn and the ratios of Se/Zn, K/P, Cu/Zn, Na/K, and Se/Fe with the clinical stages of cancer. Inhibition of enzymatic activity caused by variation in trace element concentrations results in immunological breakdown of the body system.
[7] Biol Trace Elem Res - 1991 Apr;29(1):51-75
Minor and trace elements in human milk from Guatemala, Hungary, Nigeria, Philippines, Sweden, and Zaire. Results from a WHO/IAEA joint project.
Parr RM, DeMaeyer EM, Iyengar VG, Byrne AR, Kirkbright GF, Schoch G, Niinisto L, Pineda O, Vis HL, Hofvander Y, et al
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract: Concentrations of As, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Fe, Hg, I, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, V, and Zn were determined in human whole milk samples from Guatemala, Hungary, Nigeria, Philippines, Sweden, and Zaire; in most of these countries, three groups of subjects representing different socioeconomic conditions were studied. Analytical quality control was a primary consideration throughout. The analytical techniques used were atomic absorption spectrophotometry, atomic emission spectrometry with an inductively coupled plasma, colorimetry, electrochemistry, using an ion-selective electrode and neutron activation analysis. The differences between median concentrations of Ca, Cl, Mg, K, Na, and P (minor elements) were lower than 20% among the six countries. Among trace elements, concentrations observed in Filipino milk for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and V were higher than for milk samples from other countries. The remaining five countries showed a mixed picture of high and low values. In the case of at least some elements, such as, F, I, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Se, the environment appears to play a major role in determining their concentrations in human milk. The nutritional status of the mother, as reflected by her socioeconomic status, does not appear to influence significantly the breast milk concentrations of minor and trace elements. Significant differences exist between the actual daily intakes observed in this study and current dietary recommendations made by, for example, WHO and the US National Academy of Sciences. These differences are particularly large (an order of magnitude or more!) for Cr, F, Fe, Mn, and Mo; for other elements, such as, Ca, Cu, Mg, P, and Zn, they amount to at least a factor 2. In the opinion of the present authors, these findings point to the need for a possible reassessment of the dietary requirements of young infants with respect to minor and trace elements, particularly for the elements Ca, Cr, Cu, F, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, P, and Zn.
[8] Nippon Rinsho - 1996 Jan;54(1):5-11
Trace elements and their physiological roles.[Article in Japanese]
Wada O, Yanagisawa H
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo.
Abstract: Of 95 naturally occurring elements of the periodic table, no less than 25 perform essential functions in the human body. Eight of these, namely zinc, copper, selenium, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, manganese and iodine, are required in small amounts and each comprises less than 0.01% of the body weight and termed essential trace elements. In the body, they function in a similar way; most of them are at the active site of enzymes or of physiologically active substances of the body. Dietary deficiency causes a variety of clinical features, which are consistent with the decreased activity of these active substances. Recent topics are the resemblance of these features and their background pathophysiology with those of aging.
[9] Aging (Milano) - 1995 Apr;7(2):77-93
Zinc, human diseases and aging.
Fabris N, Mocchegiani E
Research Department, Italian National Research Center on Aging (I.N.R.C.A.), Ancona.
Zinc is one of the most important trace elements in the body for many biological functions; it is required as a catalytic component for more than 200 enzymes, and as a structural constituent of many proteins, hormones, neuropeptides, hormone receptors, and probably polynucleotides. Due to its role in cell division and differentiation, programmed cell death, gene transcription, biomembrane functioning and obviously many enzymatic activities, zinc is considered a major element in assuring the correct functioning of an organism, from the very first embryonic stages to the last periods of life. This biological role together with the many factors that modulate zinc turnover explains on one hand, the variety of clinical and laboratory signs resulting from its reduced bioavailability, and on the other, the high number of human pathologies characterized by alterations in the zinc pool. As zinc supplementation is efficacious in most of these conditions, it is regarded more as an oriented therapeutical support, than a simple dietary integrator. Furthermore, the relevance of zinc status to many age-associated diseases and, according to experimental studies, the aging itself of the major homeostatic mechanisms of the body, i.e., the nervous, neuroendocrine and immune systems, places zinc in a pivotal position in the economy of the aging organism.
[10] Food Addit Contam - 1996 Oct;13(7):775-786
Use of a food composition database to estimate daily dietary intake of nutrient or
trace elements in Japan, with reference to its limitation.
Shimbo S, Hayase A, Murakami M, Hatai I, Higashikawa K, Moon CS, Zhang ZW, Watanabe T,
Iguchi H, Ikeda M
Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyoto Women's University, Japan.
Daily dietary intake of 28 trace elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga,
Ge, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sc, Se, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, V and Zn) were estimated
from the food intake records (collected by the 24-h total food duplicate method), taking advantage of recently published trace element composition tables for foods in Japan. Because the number of food items listed in the tables was not sufficient, the calculation was made with not all foods recorded, and the results should be taken as semi-quantitative. The estimated intake was high (i.e. 1 mg/day as a median) for Al, Cu, Mg, Mn, Si, Sr and Zn, medium (i.e. 2-985 micrograms/day) for As, B, Ba, Be, Cr, Ge, Mo, Ni, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn and Ti, and low (i.e. 1 microgram/day) for Cd, Co, Li, Pb and V. Comparison of the present estimates with the reported values in the literature on 15 elements showed that close agreements were observed in the cases of 10 elements (i.e. Al, B, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se and Zn) for which the present estimates are above 1 microgram/day, whereas the discrepancies were significant for four elements (i.e. Cd, Co, Pb and V) with 1 microgram/day intake. When the expected dietary uptake was compared with that by respiration in the cases of the 16 elements for which the atmospheric concentration data in Japan are available, the uptake was exclusively attributable to the dietary route for all 16 elements with the possible exception of vanadium.
Legend
Ac - Actinium; Ag - Silver; Al - Aluminium; Am - Americum; Ar - Argon; As - Arsenic; At - Astatine; Au - Gold; B - Boron; Ba - Barium; Be - Beryllium; Bi - Bismuth; Bk - Berkelium; Br - Bromine; Ca - Calcium; Cd - Cadmium; Ce - Cerium; Cf - Californium; Cl - Chlorine; Cm - Curium; Co - Cobalt; Cr - Chromium; Cs - Caesium; Cu - Copper; Dy - Dysprosium; Er - Erbium; Eu - Europium; F - Fluorine; Fe - Iron; Fr - Francium; Ga - Gallium; Gd - Gadolinium; Ge - Germanium; Hf - Hafnium; Hg - Mercury; Ho - Holmium; I - Iodine; In - Indium; Ir - Iridium; K - Potassium; Kr - Krypton; La - Lathanum; Li - Lithium; Lu - Lutetium; Mg - Magnesium; Mn - Manganese; Mo - Molybdenum; N - Nitrogen; Na - Sodium; Nb - Niobium; Nd - Neodymium; Ni - Nickle; Np - Neptunium; Os - Osmium; P - Phosphorus; Pa - Protactinium; Pb - Lead; Pd - Palladium; Pm - Promethium; Po - Polonium; Pr - Praseodymium; Pt - Platinium; Pu - Plutonium; Ra - Radium; Rb - Rubidium; Re - Rhenium; Rh - Rhodium; Rn - Radon; Ru - Ruthenium; S - Sulfur; Sb - Antimony; Sc - Scandium; Se - Selenium; Si - Silicon; Sm - Samarium; Sn - Tin; Sr - Strontium; Ta - Tantalum; Tb - Terbium; Te - Tellurium; Th - Thorium; Ti - Titanium; Tl - Thallium; Tm - Thulium; V - Vanadium; W - Tungsten; Y - Yttrium; Yb - Ytterbium; Zn - Zinc; Zr - Zirconium.
Abstracts
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