Dietary boron intakes of selected populations in the United States.

Knowledge of daily boron (B) intakes will assist researchers in establishing B requirements and elucidating the metabolic role of B in humans. B concentrations in commonly consumed foods were utilized to approximate the B intake of selected US populations. Triplicate food samples were digested at low temperatures with 16 M HNO3 and 30% H2O2, and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP). Milk and dairy products, juices, and beverages were the largest contributors to dietary B. Total B content of average daily diets ranged from 548 microg for toddlers (2 yr old) to 883 microg for mature males (60-65 yr old), excluding tap water contributions. Toddlers consumed 3.7 times more B than mature males when adjusted for body weight (body wt) and consumed the diet with the highest boron density (1.8 microg/kJ or 0.43 microg/kcal). Adolescent females consumed a diet with the lowest B density (1.12 microg/kJ or 0.26 microg/kcal). Food B concentrations applied to diet records (1020 microg/d) and ICP analysis of the corresponding food composites (1170 microg/d) were comparable (p < 0.05). Current estimations of B in US diets are consistent with reports in the literature stating that normal adult daily B intakes are approx 1 mg.

Effect of boron supplementation on blood and urinary calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, and urinary boron in athletic and sedentary women.

It has been reported that boron may be beneficial for optimal calcium metabolism and, thus, optimal bone metabolism. Therefore, we designed a study to determine the effects of boron supplementation on blood and urinary minerals in athletic subjects and sedentary control subjects consuming self-selected typical Western diets. Serum phosphorus concentrations were lower in boron-supplemented subjects than in placebo-supplemented subjects. Compared with all other subjects, serum magnesium concentrations were greatest in the sedentary control subjects supplemented with boron and increased with time in all subjects. Exercise training diminished changes in serum phosphorus concentrations caused by boron supplementation. Calcium excretion increased over time in all groups combined, and boron excretion increased over time in all boron-supplemented subjects. The findings suggest that boron supplementation modestly affected mineral status, and exercise modified the effects of boron supplementation on serum minerals.

Effects of boron supplementation on bone mineral density and dietary, blood, and urinary calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and boron in female athletes.

The effects of boron supplementation on blood and urinary minerals were studied in female college students--17 athletes and 11 sedentary controls--over a one-year period. The athletes had lower percent body fat and higher aerobic capacities than sedentary controls. Athletic subjects consumed more boron in their normal diets than sedentary subjects; all other dietary measures were similar between the two groups. The athletes showed a slight increase in bone mineral density, whereas the sedentary group showed a slight decrease. Serum phosphorus concentrations were lower in boron-supplemented subjects than in subjects receiving placebos, and were lower at the end of the study period than during baseline analysis. Activity depressed changes in serum phosphorus in boron-supplemented subjects. Serum magnesium concentrations were greatest in the sedentary controls whose diets were supplemented with boron, and increased with time in all subjects. A group x supplement interaction was observed with serum magnesium; exercise in boron-supplemented subjects lowered serum magnesium. In all subjects, calcium excretion increased over time; in boron-supplemented subjects, boron excretion increased over time. In all subjects, boron supplementation affected serum phosphorus and magnesium, and the excretion of urinary boron.