History Of Vanadium

Vanadium is named after the Norse goddess Vanadis, the goddess of beauty and fertility who is also known as Freya (as in Friday - Freya's day). Vanadium was so named for it's beautiful colours and to this day it is used as a dye in pottery and ceramics. Vanadium was first discovered by Andres Manuel del Rio in 1801, he was preparing salts from the material contained in "brown lead". Del Rio suspected he had discovered a new element and had intended to call it "Panchromium" (greek for many colored) an appropriate name given that the various oxides of Vanadium are differently colored. Unfortunately, a French chemist incorrectly declared that del Rio's new element was only impure Chromium. Del Rio thought himself to be mistaken and accepted the French chemist's statement.

Whether the element vanadium plays any nutritional, biochemical, or biologic role in the human is a question that has been extremely difficult to answer. At the turn of the century, French physicians used vanadium as a cure-all - but only for a short time, because some thought that it was quite toxic. The question of the role the element plays in humans, if any, has been up in the air ever since.

Vanadium may act as a co-factor for enzymes involved in blood sugar metabolism, lipid and cholesterol metabolism, bone and tooth development, fertility, thyroid function, hormone production and neurotransmitter metabolism.

Vanadium deficiency has not been described in man. Deficiency in animals causes infertility, reduction in red blood cell production leading to anemia; iron metabolism defects; and poor bone, tooth and cartilage formation. Vanadium is an essential element in the diets of chickens; deficiency affects bones, feathers and blood. It is possible that deficiency in humans may lead to high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increase susceptibility to heart disease and cancer.

There is no RDA for vanadium. A daily intake of 10 to 100 mcg is probably safe and adequate. Some foods that are rich in vanadium are radishes, parsley, dill and wheat grains.

Vanadium can easily be toxic if taken in synthetic form. It may cause nerve damage, blood vessel damage, kidney failure, liver damage, stunted growth, loss of appetite and diarrhea. Excess vanadium in humans has been suggested as a factor in bipolar disorder.

Animal experiments have shown that vanadium can mimic the effects of insulin and reduce blood sugar levels from high to normal. These benefits are seen with low doses and there have been limited clinical trials with vanadium salts in patients with Type II diabetes, indicating that vanadium may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetes.

Vanadium, along with its heavier cousins, molybdenum and tungsten, can mimic insulin. In other words, in research done with cells, these minerals have literally been able to replace insulin.

Since 1980 when research first showed this trace mineral could lower blood sugars, tantalizing results have been found in studies of rodents and in a limited number of human studies. Unfortunately, no one has been "cured" while very serious concerns have been raised about the potential damage this mineral might create.

Vanadium can improve sensitivity to insulin in both Type I and Type II diabetes. It has been shown in human studies to have some ability to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Areas of the world where vanadium (and selenium) levels are high in the soil have lower rates of heart disease. After oral intake, effects of the mineral are seen weeks to months later due to its accumulation in tissues like the kidneys and bone.

A significant amount of prior research in experimental animals, isolated tissues, and cell preparations has strongly suggested that various forms of vanadium have a beneficial impact on the abnormal metabolic state associated with diabetes. This solicitation (NIDDK research study) intends to support preliminary studies of efficacy, dosimetry and toxicity in human subjects with diabetes.

Vanadium, a trace metal for a broad range of organisms including humans, has been postulated to be a co-factor for a number of enzymatic processes. Salts of this element have been known for a decade to inhibit the action of a number of phosphatases in in vitro situations.

In particular, vanadate has been used frequently in laboratory settings with isolated tissues and cell cultures as a tool in biochemical studies of the mechanisms of insulin action and experimental insulin resistant states. This ion has shown insulinmimetic properties in preparations of muscle, liver and adipose tissue as well as whole animals with various forms of diabetes. Non-diabetic laboratory animals appear to show much less response.

Despite the lack of consensus on the precise biochemical mechanism of action for vanadate, it is clear that a broad array of cellular and physiologic processes are modified in an insulinmimetic pattern. The magnitude and universality (i.e., across tissues, across species, across diabetes type or model) of these effects are still being debated in the literature. In addition, vanadium can exist in a number of oxidation states (both cationic and anionic), and the state most relevant to insulin action is not established.

Vanadium has been shown to lower growth of human prostate cancer cells in tissue cultures, and to reduce bone cancer and liver cancer in animals. These widespread effects on cancer and diabetes, along with the protective effect seen with another trace mineral, selenium, on certain cancers, suggest that trace minerals are likely to come under more scrutiny for potential health benefits and toxicity.

Unfortunately, vanadium's effects are not all positive. Vanadium works by blocking dozens of enzymes, including ribonucleases, mutases, kinases, and synthases. This indiscriminate blocking action has the potential to be both positive and negative.

Before embarking on human studies, it will be important to consider the known and potential toxicities of vanadium. Clinical studies of any vanadium compound with regard to diabetes will need to carefully monitor for incipient toxicity.

  • Naylor GJ; Corrigan FM; Smith AH; Connelly P; Ward NI Further studies of vanadium in depressive psychosis. Br J Psychiatry, 1987 May, 150:, 656-61
  • Verma S; Cam MC; McNeill JH. Nutritional factors that can favorably influence the glucose/insulin system: vanadium. J Am Coll Nutr, 1998 Feb, 17:1, 11-8
  • Vanadium Salts In The Clinical Treatment Of Diabetes Mellitus, NIH Guide, Volume 21, Number 42, November 20, 1992
  • John Walsh, P.A., C.D.E. Vanadium & Diabetes: Benefit or Harm?
  • A. Sreedhara, N. Susa, A. Patwardhan, and C.P. Rao: Biochem & Biophys Res. Comm.; 224, 115-120; 1996

Discuss It!