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MOLYBDENUM (Mo)
General - trace mineral; detox mineral
*Adult body contains about 9 mg
*History: essentiality for humans
established in 1953
Nutrition
Sources:
Best: lentils, liver, peas,
cauliflower, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, spinach
Good: kidney, garlic, whole
grains, eggs, fish, sunflower seeds
Poor: refined foods, foods
grown on molybdenum-deficient soils
Supplements: molybdenum
salts, amino acid chelates, multi-mineral, multi-mineral-vitamin formulations
*Absorbed readily from stomach &
upper small intestine; 25 to 80% of ingested molybdenum is absorbed
*Antagonized by: removed from foods
during refining
*Storage: mainly in liver & kidneys;
adrenal glands, bones, & skin
*Excretion: through kidneys; rapidly
turned over
*Metabolism: works with fluoride;
high copper intake increases molybdenum excretion; high sulphates increase
molybdenum excretion
*Interactions: high molybdenum
results in high urinary losses of copper; tungsten is antagonist to molybdenum
metabolism
Functions of molybdenum
As co-factor of an enzyme (xanthine
oxidase), molybdenum is involved in mobilizing iron from liver storage to
oxidize aldehydes
*Helps to remove nitrogen waste from
the body through the formation of uric acid (purine metabolism); uric acid is
a powerful anti-oxidant; molybdenum appears to play role in control of aging
*Detoxifies one class of food
preservatives (sulphating agents) by means of molybdenum-containing enzyme
(sulphite oxidase); sulphites can cause nausea, diarrhoea, acute asthma, coma,
& death in sensitive individuals; bisulphite destroys vitamin B-1
*Involved in fat metabolism & energy
production through molybdenum-activated enzyme (aldehyde oxidase) *Catalyzes
reactions which transfer an oxygen atom from water to various compounds;
simultaneous exchange reactions: give up 2 electrons at one end of molecule +
cause 2 protons to be given up at other end of molecule
*Powerful agent for reducing copper
levels
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