Boron, testosterone, weight loss...and post menopausal women

A study was done to examine the effects of boron on postmenopausal women. This post 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 elevated the serum concentrations of testosterone; the elevation seemed more marked when dietary magnesium was low. 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. Since increased testosterone levels will aid fat loss in both adult males and females of any age…it stands to reason that a boron supplement could aid fat loss in post meno-pausal women who have been following a conventional low-boron diet .
So, in conclusion, 3mg a day of boron may be a valuable supplement for the health and fat loss of post menopausal women. Alternatively…and probably better, the 3 mg should be consumed through whole food sources. (see table below). The only thing to watch through this approach is to choose foods not too calorie dense to supply the boron. Eg. Choose beans rather than bananas…or else you might end up even fatter than ever!
Richard Hargreaves
1984 Mr Australia
CEO www.ironpower.biz

Ref: 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.


Boron content in food

Boron content of some common foods
Food Boron concentration in mg/kg, fresh weight basis
Hunt et al. (1991) Anderson et al. (1994b)
Fruits
Apple, red with peel, raw 2.73 2.38
Apple juice 1.88 2.41
Apple sauce 2.83 1.04
Banana, raw - 3.72
Cherries, dark 1.47 0.92
Grape juice 2.02 2.06
Orange juice 0.41 1.59
Peaches, canned 1.87 -
Pears, canned 1.22 -
Dried fruits
Dates 9.2 -
Prunes 27 21.5
Raisins 25 19.0
Vegetables
Beans, green 0.46 1.56
Broccoli, flowers 1.85 -
Broccoli, stalks 0.89 -
Lettuce, iceberg <0.015 -
Carrots, canned 0.75 -
Nuts
Almonds 23 -
Hazelnuts 16 -
Peanuts 18 13.8
Meats
Beef, round, ground, raw <0.015 <0.05
Chicken, breast, ground, raw <0.015 0.09
Turkey breast <0.015 -
Milk & milk products
Cheese, cream <0.015 0.19
Milk, 2% <0.015 0.23
Cereal grain products
Bread, white, enriched 0.20 0.48
Cornflakes fortified 0.31 0.92
Flour, wheat, white 0.28 -
Noodles,egg, dry, enriched 0.37 -
Rice, white, instant <0.015 -
Spaghetti, dry, enriched <0.015 -
Miscellaneous
Catsup 0.85 1.39
Eggs, homogen-ized <0.015 0.12
Honey 7.2 6.07
Jelly, strawberry 0.41 -
Jelly, grape 1.47 1.86
Sugar, white <0.015 0.29
Beverages Boron concentration in µg/ml
Wine - 3.5
Beer 1.8 0.13


Source: Environmental Health Criteria for Boron (EHC 204)