The microminerals are a selection of 17 nutrients that your body requires in relatively small amounts (generally less than 100 milligrams (mg) per day). Consuming the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of each one helps support almost every process in your body and is highly beneficial to your health. However, consuming too much can have the opposite effect and be very damaging to your health. In this article I will be discussing 19 of the negative side effects of micromineral overdose and also outlining how you can avoid overdosing on the microminerals.
1) BLOOD PROBLEMS:- Eating too much of certain microminerals can play havoc with your blood. Overdosing on arsenic, molybdenum, vanadium or zinc can cause anemia (a low red blood cell count in the body). Getting too much tin can destroy your red blood cells whilst getting too much copper, lithium and nickel can lead to high blood pressure. Eating high levels of boron can also cause poor blood circulation.
2) CANCER:- Overdosing on arsenic and nickel can has been linked with an increased cancer risk. Cancer is a disease where the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in your cells becomes damaged and causes rapid, uncontrollable cellular growth. In particular overdosing on these microminerals is thought to increase your chances of contracting bladder cancer, lung cancer and skin cancer.
3) DENTAL PROBLEMS:- Getting too much selenium can have a negative effect on your dental health. It can lead to increased dental cavities (holes in the teeth caused by damage to the hard tooth structure) and in the worst cases can cause tooth loss.
4) DIARRHEA:- Overdosing on boron, iodine, lithium, molybdenum, tin, vanadium and zinc can lead to diarrhea. Not only is this unpleasant but it can also lead to dehydration, fevers and stomach pain.
5) FATIGUE:- Consuming too much boron, copper, iron, lithium and selenium can cause you to feel tired even when you are getting adequate amounts of sleep. This can have an adverse effect on your ability to perform throughout the day.
6) GROWTH PROBLEMS:- Overdosing on certain microminerals can affect the rate at which your body grows. Getting too much molybdenum and nickel reduces your growth rate whilst eating high levels of vanadium can lead to stunted growth.
7) HEADACHES:- Eating too much copper, iron, lithium or tin can cause headaches. Not only is this very unpleasant but it can also make it difficult to concentrate.
8) HEART PROBLEMS:- Overdosing on cobalt and copper can have a negative effect on the health of your heart. In the worst cases it can cause serious damage and prove to be fatal.
9) KIDNEY PROBLEMS:- Consuming extremely high levels of germanium, lithium and vanadium can cause kidney problems and in the worst cases full kidney failure. The kidneys help your body process waste materials. If they are not functioning properly these waste materials start to build up inside your body and slowly poison it.
10) LIVER PROBLEMS:- Overdosing on arsenic, copper, germanium, iron and vanadium can cause liver damage and in the worst cases liver failure. This can lead to a number of associated problems including diarrhea, fatigue, nausea and poor appetite. In the most serious cases liver failure can lead to coma.
11) MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS:- Eating too much arsenic, copper or selenium can have an adverse effect on your mental health. Overdosing on arsenic and copper can cause you to become depressed whilst overdosing on selenium can lead to irritability.
12) NERVOUS SYSTEM PROBLEMS:- Overdosing on certain microminerals can lead to a variety of nervous system problems. Getting too much arsenic can lead to peripheral neuropathy (a nervous system disorder which causes a loss of nerve function in the arms and/or legs). Eating too much manganese can cause nervous system problems similar to Parkinson’s disease. Consuming too much selenium or vanadium can also cause nerve damage.
13) POOR APPETITE:- Eating too much boron, iron and vanadium can interfere with your appetite. In the long term a poor appetite can have a wide range of adverse health effects as you will not be getting adequate calories or nutrients from your diet.
14) SEXUAL PROBLEMS:- Overdosing on cobalt and manganese can cause a number of sexual problems. Getting too much cobalt can reduce fertility in men whilst getting too much manganese can cause impotence (erectile dysfunction).
15) SKIN PROBLEMS:- Eating high levels of certain microminerals can cause a variety of skin problems. Overdosing on arsenic can cause dermatosis (a skin condition which causes eruptions and lesions) whilst overdosing on boron can lead to dermatitis (inflammation of the skin). Consuming too much copper can lead to jaundice (a condition where the skin becomes yellow) whilst consuming too much iron can cause bronzing or greying of the skin. Eating high levels of nickel, tin and vanadium can cause your skin to become irritated and lead to rashes.
16) STOMACH PROBLEMS:- Overdosing on arsenic, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, tin, vanadium and zinc can lead to a number of stomach problems. Eating high levels of arsenic and selenium can cause gastrointestinal problems whilst eating high levels of iron can damage the lining of the intestinal tract. On top of this consuming too much copper, iodine, tin, vanadium and zinc can lead to stomach pain.
17) THYROID PROBLEMS:- Eating too much cobalt can damage your thyroid gland whilst eating too much iodine can inhibit your body’s ability to produce thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland and thyroid hormones regulate a number of important processes in your body including metabolism, body temperature, growth and energy levels. Therefore, overdosing on cobalt and iodine can reduce your body’s ability to regulate these processes.
18) VOMITING:- Overdosing on boron, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, tin, vanadium and zinc can all cause you to vomit. In the short term vomiting is unpleasant but has no serious side effects. However, in the long term repeated vomiting can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies as they are excreted from your stomach.
19) WEAKNESS:- Consuming high levels of boron, copper and lithium can lead to weakness. This can make it extremely difficult to perform day to day tasks and engage in physical activity.
HOW CAN I AVOID MICROMINERAL OVERDOSE?
Overdosing on the microminerals can be seriously damaging to your health. To avoid the negative symptoms associated with micromineral overdose you need to moderate your consumption and ideally stick to the RDA for each one. However, at the very least you should stay within the tolerable upper limits (TULs) for each of the 17. Both the RDA and TUL for each of the microminerals is listed below:
– Arsenic:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of between 0.0125mg and 0.025mg is adequate. No TUL for organic arsenic (the type found in most foods) but TUL of 1mg per day for inorganic acid (a type found in chemicals that sometimes leaks into water supplies).
– Boron:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of 1mg per day is adequate. TUL of 50mg per day.
– Cobalt:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of 0.0015mg of vitamin B12 per day will provide your body with adequate amounts. TUL of 1.4mg per day.
– Copper:- RDA of 0.9mg for adults. TUL of 10mg per day for adults.
– Chromium:- RDA of 0.035mg per day for male adults and 0.025mg per day for female adults. No TUL specified as there are no reported overdose symptoms.
– Germanium:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of 1mg per day is adequate. No TUL for natural germanium but TUL of 50mg per day on synthetic germanium.
– Iodine:- RDA of 0.15mg for adults. TUL of 1.1mg per day for adults.
– Iron:- RDA of 8mg for male adults and 18mg for female adults. TUL of 45mg per day for adults.
– Lithium:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of between 2mg and 3mg is adequate. No TUL but research suggests consuming 100mg per day or more can have adverse effects. Consuming 5 grams (g) per day or more can be fatal.
– Manganese:- RDA of 1.9mg for male adults and 1.6mg for female adults. TUL of 11mg per day for adults.
– Molybdenum:- RDA of 0.045mg for adults. TUL of 2mg per day for adults.
– Nickel:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of 0.1mg is adequate. TUL of 100mg per day.
– Selenium:- RDA of 0.055mg for adults. TUL of 0.4mg per day.
– Silicon:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of between 1g and 2g is adequate. No TUL specified as there are no reported overdose symptoms.
– Tin:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of between 1mg and 3mg is adequate. TUL of 13mg per day.
– Vanadium:- No RDA but research suggests a daily consumption of between 0.1mg and 1mg is adequate. TUL of 1.8mg per day.
– Zinc:- RDA of 11mg for male adults and 9mg for female adults. TUL of 40mg per day.
SUMMARY
As you can see consuming too many microminerals is bad news. However, if you stick to the RDAs and TULs listed above you should be able to enjoy all the benefits without being subjected to the nasty overdose symptoms.