Manganese is a
metallic mineral that was discovered by a 17th century
German chemist named Johann Glauber,
though it was not isolated in a pure form until 1774, by
Johan Gahn. It was Gahn’s associate, a Swedish chemist,
Carl Scheele, who first determined that manganese was an
element. Manganese,
as a trace mineral element, is found in all forms of life.
It is essential to the health and functioning of the human
body and mind
in many ways.
In terms of physical health, the mineral manganese
is important to almost all of the body’s major systems.
It works in the digestive system, which is responsible
for breaking down foods
through digestion and transforming them into a form that
the body can use. Primary functions in the digestive system
include acting
as a cofactor in many of the enzymes responsible for releasing
the energy in food, making it accessible to both body and
mind to fuel the essential and nonessential functions.
Thiamin, or Vitamin
B1 cannot be metabolized without the presence of this essential
mineral. The skeletal system requires manganese for the building
of strong and healthy bones. Without it, the skeleton may
not develop properly. Manganese also serves the nervous
system and brain, which
send messages to the muscles and thus, the mineral supports
good muscular reflexes. It also serves the reproductive
system, having
an important role in the production of sex hormones and sperm.
Manganese has vital antioxidant properties,
working as a cofactor in the production of the body’s most
important antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Antioxidants
perform a task that
is essential to the body, the control of or stabilization
of free radicals, which are responsible for a great deal
of damage within
the body. Free radicals are destabilized by their lack of
an electron, and in seeking to stabilize themselves, they
attack other molecules
in an effort to take what they need from them, which results
in those molecules becoming destabilized as well. If a
cell accumulates enough free radicals, cellular damage can occur,
which can
lead
to tissue damage as the free radicals roam, increasing their
population.
Manganese is necessary for the brain to function properly. It
serves to support memory and emotional stability, as well as the
nerves themselves. Researchers are studying the relationship between
epilepsy and other seizure disorders and the influence manganese
levels may have on seizure activity and severity. This mineral
is also being investigated for its potentials in the treatment
of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
Deficiencies in manganese can contribute to convulsions, confusion,
tremors, dizziness, paralysis, deafness and blindness in infants,
adult hearing loss, digestive disorders, ataxia, bone malformation,
general weakness, infertility, irregular pulse, and pancreatic
damage.
Nutritional supplements offer a reliable and safe means of seeing
to it that the diet contains adequate amounts of this essential
trace mineral, provided supplement dosage remains within the standard
recommended daily intake levels. Too much of any nutrient can do
physical harm to the body and thus, it is essential to be knowledgeable
about the nutritional needs of your body and the supplement you
are considering for use.
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