Initially, human nutrition scientists thought vanadium could be a nutritionally important nutritional element. The following study exemplifies this:
Vanadium is a pervasive element of biological systems, is widely distributed across the food supply. Food refining and processing appear to increase vanadium content. At higher intakes, it accumulates in body tissues such as the liver, kidney, and bone. The essentiality of the nutrient has been established in lower life forms. Still, the significance and extent of vanadium’s role in humans have been overshadowed by the absence of deficiency symptoms in man. While the pharmacological properties of vanadium have stimulated much interest, knowledge of basic metabolic processes regulating vanadium remains incomplete. The ultimate determination of essentiality for humans will depend on a greater understanding of vanadium’s fundamental biochemical roles. (French, R.J., et al., 1993)
A scientific review published in 2015 shows that vanadium is not a nutritionally beneficial element. The highlights of this study are: (Imtiaz, M., et al, 2015)
- Vanadium might be a serious pollutant for soil and the environment in the future.
- Vanadium also a factor of food contamination.
- Vanadium might be the main cause of many diseases in human beings.
- Vanadium affects the plants’ growth as well as impairs the metabolic system.
- Vanadium interacts with nutrients, and its bioavailability depends upon various factors.
As our understanding stands today, vanadium does not appear to be a nutritionally important element. But new evidence can emerge in the future.
There are details on some nutritionally important elements and foods in the following book that you may take a look at.
