The Biological Effects of Boron, For Improved Human Health

A Trace Mineral for Healthy Bones and Hormones, Pain and Cancer Treatment

 

“Our body’s function in a state of balance dependent on the level of minerals within.”

As I read various studies highlighting how quickly the disease process is accelerating on multiple fronts, with the authors’ conclusion that it is based on unknown causes, I just shake my head in unbelief of the obvious. Using critical thinking should make it clear: is not the state of health a reflection of our choices and lifestyle habits? Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine stated, “Let food be our medicine and medicine be our food”. It means that what we eat must provide the nutrition that is capable of maintaining and providing good health. If the food we are eating determines the nourishment our bodies require for preventing and treating diseases, what kind of medicine are we receiving when eating ultra processed foods void of nutrients, lacking trace minerals, vitamins and enzymes? Is it medicine if we are cooking with toxic seed oils, eating a diet consisting mainly of carbohydrates, creating a systemic protein deficiency, consuming food full of refined sugars and beverages spiked with sugars and caffeine or fluorinated water? It is clear we manifest our refection by the choices of diet and lifestyle.

Minerals are essential for the proper utilization of vitamins and other nutrients, but they are lacking in our soil, especially trace minerals. They, in conjunction with bulk minerals, are working as co-enzymes enabling the body for dynamic performance, energy production and for growth, development and healing. Our body’s function in a state of balance dependent on the level of minerals within. When one mineral is in a deficient state, all minerals become affected, creating a complex imbalance, which may result in illness.

Boron is a vital trace mineral that is required for the normal growth and health of the body. It enhances brain function and promotes alertness, and is needed in trace amounts for healthy bones and for the metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. This is why it is particularly important to post-menopausal women. In fact, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that women who supplemented with 3 milligrams of elemental boron each day reduced their excreted calcium levels by 44%[1], leading them to conclude the boron improves the metabolism of calcium and magnesium.

It has proven to be an effective treatment for arthritis, showing significant improvement in over 95% of cases by enhancing calcium integration into cartilage and bones. As individuals age, boron helps prevent bone weakening and porosity by maximizing and utilizing calcium effectively. It also reduces the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, addressing allergic and inflammatory conditions associated with the condition. The elderly can benefit from boron supplements of 3 to 6 milligrams per day because they have a greater issue with calcium absorption.

Some studies[2] have found that boron has promise in elevating hormone levels—particularly estrogen balance and testosterone levels. It is theorized that boron increases testosterone by inhibiting the enzymes that would normally break it down, and/or by increasing vitamin D levels. This theory could have some credence, as other studies have shown that, in vitamin D-deficient men, supplementing with vitamin D also increased their testosterone levels.

A 2010 study in Iran supplemented men with boron for 7 days. While no major effect was noticed up to six hours later, there was a reduction in sex hormone binding globulin (it binds to testosterone in the blood), and after one week of supplementation, it produced significant changes in hormone levels: plasma testosterone increased, and plasma estradiol decreased. Dihydrotestosterone, cortisol, and vitamin D were elevated. Also, concentrations of all three inflammatory biomarkers decreased after supplementation.

According to a recent Lancet Commission, “Prostate cancer is already a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and the prostate cancer commission projects that the number of new cases will double between 2020-2040.“ This is a massive surge, an 85% increase in deaths to nearly 700,000 by the year 2040. In Canada prostate cancer is the 3rd leading cause of death for men, the medical community look at most cancers paradoxically,  based on aging and biology, for men they get prostate cancer as they age, end of story. When these reports are released they never seem to offer any preventative solutions, they only give warnings rather than averting the issue with lifestyle changes. [3]

Boron has even shown promise in decreasing cancer risk. A UCLA study found that in men, increased boron intake may decrease prostate cancer risk. In women, the American Journal of Epidemiology found that higher boron intake could lower lung cancer risk.

Research on boron’s anticancer properties suggests that it might play a role in reducing the risk of certain cancers. Studies, primarily conducted in laboratory settings and on animal models, indicate that boron compounds can inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, including breast, prostate, cervical, and lung cancers. The mechanisms behind boron’s anticancer effects are thought to involve the modulation of cellular signaling pathways, reduction of inflammation, and enhancement of the body’s natural antioxidant defenses. Boron is also believed to influence the activity of enzymes and hormones that are involved in cancer progression.

Studies suggest that complexation, or the formation of a complex compound between curcumin and boron, can enhance the bioavailability and biological activity of curcumin. This enhancement potentially leads to increased antioxidant capacity, which helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, and tendencies to suppress cell growth, especially the growth of malignant cells into surrounding tissue, indicating a potential for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Life Choice Boron with Curcumin

Life Choice Boron contains 3.36 mg of elemental boron in the form of boron glycinate chelate. The other supporting ingredients are turmeric and to fortify its absorption piperine, the active ingredient in black pepper. The bioavailability of curcumin from Curcuma longa L. is poor due to rapid metabolism in the liver and intestinal wall. Research[4] investigated the impact of combining piperine, a known inhibitor of hepatic and intestinal glucuronidation, on curcumin bioavailability in rats and human volunteers. When curcumin was administered alone to rats, it achieved moderate serum concentrations over 4 hours. Co-administration of piperine significantly increased serum concentrations for 1-2 hours, leading to a 154% increase in bioavailability. In humans, curcumin alone resulted in undetectable or very low serum levels, while co-administration with piperine produced a substantial increase (2000%) in bioavailability without adverse effects.

Health claim and recommendation:

  • Helps to maintain healthy calcium metabolism and traditionally used in herbal medicine as an anti-inflammatory to help relieve joint pain.
  • Take with vitamin D and calcium.

We are challenged on a daily basis to remain healthy in a toxic world, my book “Natural Medicine For A Sick World” proves my point. The limitations on producing natural medicine have become extremely restrictive, this is why understanding the synergy of nutrients becomes essential in order to bring about a physiological change on multiple fronts. The human body, complex as it is, has the ability of healing itself when given the opportunity. For this to happen, lifestyle changes are necessary, beginning with dietary changes in order to heal the bedding ground of disease, the human gut, and the gastrointestinal tract. Increased sleep, pure drinking water, daily exercise and nutraceutical medication with USP pharmaceutical standards directed to treating the core of the illness. Remember, if the illness is man-made, it can be also be treated by man which means the choice of ‘how’ is now in your own two hands.

References:

  • Naghii MR et al. 1997. The effect of boron supplementation on its urinary excretion and selected cardiovascular risk factors in healthy male subjects. Biol Trace Elem Res.;56(3):273-286.
  • Nielsen FH et al. 1987. Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women. FASEB J.;1(5):394-397.
  • Pizzorno, Lara. 2015. Nothing Boring About Boron. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712861/

[1] Pizzorno, Lara. 2015.

[2] See Nielsen FH et al. 1987. and Naghii MR et al. 1997.

[3] https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/prostate-cancer

[4] Shoba, Guido et al. 1998.