ABC's of Nutrition: Manganese

Good dietary sources of manganese include green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, whole grains, and nuts. Pecans and Brazil nuts rank at the top.

Some of the best absorbed forms are manganese bound to picolinate, gluconate, or other chelates.

Human manganese deficiency is not as well defined as in animals. Animal results have shown manganese deficiency may lead to impaired growth, skeletal abnormalities, and defects in carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

In several human studies where subjects were fed a manganese-reduced diet, several metabolic abnormalities developed, including appearance of a skin rash, loss of hair color, reduced growth of hair and nails, and reduced HDL cholesterol.

Manganese functions in many enzyme systems, including enzymes involved in blood sugar control, energy metabolism, and thyroid function.

High doses of manganese may inhibit the absorption of iron, copper, and zinc. On the other hand, high intake of magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, and zinc may inhibit the absorption of manganese.

by John Connor, CNC