The FASEB Journal, Vol 1, 394-397, Copyright © 1987 by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women

FH Nielsen, CD Hunt, LM Mullen and JR Hunt
United States Department of Agriculture, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, North Dakota 58202.

A study was done to examine the effects of aluminum, magnesium, and boron on major mineral metabolism in postmenopausal women. This communication describes some of the effects of dietary boron on 12 women between the ages of 48 and 82 housed in a metabolic unit. A boron supplement of 3 mg/day markedly affected several indices of mineral metabolism of seven women consuming a low-magnesium diet and five women consuming a diet adequate in magnesium; the women had consumed a conventional diet supplying about 0.25 mg boron/day for 119 days. Boron supplementation markedly reduced the urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium; the depression seemed more marked when dietary magnesium was low. Boron supplementation depressed the urinary excretion of phosphorus by the low-magnesium, but not by the adequate-magnesium, women. Boron supplementation markedly elevated the serum concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone; the elevation seemed more marked when dietary magnesium was low. Neither high dietary aluminum (1000 mg/day) nor an interaction between boron and aluminum affected the variables presented. The findings suggest that supplementation of a low- boron diet with an amount of boron commonly found in diets high in fruits and vegetables induces changes in postmenopausal women consistent with the prevention of calcium loss and bone demineralization.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. S. Seelig, B. M. Altura, and B. T. Altura Benefits and Risks of Sex Hormone Replacement in Postmenopausal Women J. Am. Coll. Nutr., October 1, 2004; 23(5): 482S - 496S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. M Macdonald, S. A New, M. H. Golden, M. K Campbell, and D. M Reid Nutritional associations with bone loss during the menopausal transition: evidence of a beneficial effect of calcium, alcohol, and fruit and vegetable nutrients and of a detrimental effect of fatty acids Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2004; 79(1): 155 - 165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. R. Young Trace Element Biology: The Knowledge Base and its Application for the Nutrition of Individuals and Populations J. Nutr., May 1, 2003; 133(5): 1581S - 1587. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Jensen, L. Holloway, G. Block, G. Spiller, G. Gildengorin, E. Gunderson, G. Butterfield, and R. Marcus Long-term effects of nutrient intervention on markers of bone remodeling and calciotropic hormones in late-postmenopausal women Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2002; 75(6): 1114 - 1120. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. H. Arjmandi The Role of Phytoestrogens in the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Ovarian Hormone Deficiency J. Am. Coll. Nutr., October 1, 2001; 20(90005): 398S - 402. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				T. A. Armstrong, J. W. Spears, T. D. Crenshaw, and F. H. Nielsen Boron Supplementation of a Semipurified Diet for Weanling Pigs Improves Feed Efficiency and Bone Strength Characteristics and Alters Plasma Lipid Metabolites J. Nutr., October 1, 2000; 130(10): 2575 - 2581. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. L. Murkies, G. Wilcox, and S. R. Davis Phytoestrogens J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 1998; 83(2): 297 - 303. [Abstract] [Full Text]