Minerals Part 1: Missing Minerals, Mistreated Plants, and an Analysis of Concentrace

Scandium

Scandium has been called "Element of Surprises," and it's a surprise to find scandium at the #1 position among the 35 measured elements in Concentrace, relative to daily intake (Table 3; Table 4).

No element smaller than scandium (atomic number 21) seems to get so little attention. Knowledge of the biological effects of scandium in humans is just beginning to take shape. It's an example of how we can get minerals beyond our current understanding by taking Concentrace.

Despite the relative lack of research about scandium compared with other minerals, Dr. Chaim T. Horovitz has assembled a 600+ page, 2 volume book, "Biochemistry of Scandium and Yttrium." Volume 1 (1999); Volume 2 (2000).

Dr. Horovitz notes that:

• Scandium interacts chemically with nucleic acids and several other biological molecules (vol. 1, p. 297).
• Scandium levels vary widely among people (vol. 1, ch. 5).
• Scandium tissue levels seem to be increased in certain diseases but decreased in others (vol. 2, pp. 129, 268; additional references: Cihan 2011; Gómez-Aracena 2002; Zaichick 1995).
• Scandium has been found to increase or decrease activity of certain enzymes (vol. 2, p. 103).
• Scandium can replace calcium ions in many biochemical events (vol. 2, p. 144).
• Scandium has antimicrobial and anticoagulant properties (vol. 2, p. 269).
• "Today, the periodic table of elements is like an iceberg floating in the ocean of an incomprehensible human perception of nature (Fig. 10-19). Only the tip of the iceberg is seen, and almost only the tip is investigated (the essential elements). The largest part of the iceberg (the "not essential" elements) is, practically and theoretically, hardly known" (vol. 2, p. 270).
• "The beneficial and stimulatory effects of scandium and yttrium, which are well proven in several biological processes and medical applications justify further intensive research of their biochemical, physiological, and toxicological properties. It may be speculated that discovery of unknown biochemical properties of many chemical elements will yield new insights into the mysteries of life" (vol 2, p. 145).
• "Even though they are not as well known as the established essential elements, such as zinc or selenium, scandium and yttrium are good supporting actors in the play of life" (vol. 2, pp. 271-2).

The benefits or dangers of scandium await further research. Lack of data about scandium might be a good reason to take a lower dose than the label dosage of Concentrace.

Lithium

Lithium has been proposed as an essential nutrient — for neurology, stem cell proliferation, vitamin B12 and folate uptake, and many other functions (Marshall 2015; Schrauzer 2002; Schrauzer 1992). Lithium deficiency may diminish iodine retention and be associated with iodine deficiency (Schöpfer 2011).

Higher lithium content in drinking water has correlated with reduced violence, crime, and suicide rates (Vita 2014; Schrauzer 2002; Gwern 2018). Higher amounts of lithium in drinking water may correlate with reduced mortality too (Zarse 2011).

Lithium's mental health and societal benefits are potentially remarkable. Some researchers even suggest adding low-dose lithium to drinking water, to match the higher lithium levels in the drinking water of less violent places. (Fels NY Times op-ed 2014; Gwern 2018; Schöpfer 2011.)

Note that each single tablet of 300 mg lithium carbonate pharmaceutical drug would provide 56mg of lithium, about 30 times more than the daily Concentrace, and far more than in any drinking water. Sometimes several tablets per day might be prescribed and might cause toxic effects. The higher pharmaceutical dose is far beyond the lithium naturally in drinking water.

A daily dose of Concentrace contains 1.9 milligrams of lithium (Table 1). This amount is more than 100 times what a person would get with the low end of lithium intake, presumably with low-lithium drinking water (Table 3), and 0.60 times what a person with the high end of lithium intake would get, presumably with high-lithium drinking water (Table 4).

So even just a few drops of Concentrace will go a long way to protect against the low lithium levels in many places' drinking waters. And a full daily dose might provide all the advantages a person would get by living in a place with high-lithium drinking water.

The lithium alone seems like a great reason to try at least a few drops a day of Concentrace.

Boron

Boron offers us a variety of benefits:

• Boron helps the body direct calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and other minerals to bones and other places where they're needed. (Nielsen 2017, 1997, 1994; Donoiu 2018; Roth 2017; Last 2016; Hunt 2012.)
• Boron improves brain function. Low boron intake reduces behavioral activation and mental alertness. (Nielsen 2017, 1997.)
• Boron may chelate fluoride out of the body. (Last 2016.) Though fluoride is added to toothpaste and drinking water, many people think this fluoride is toxic.
• Boron may activate vitamin D and protect against vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency has become very common, and maybe boron deficiency might be a reason. (Last 2016; Hunt 2012; Miljkovic 2004 Nielsen 1997.)
• Boron may naturally improve levels of testosterone, estrogen, and other hormones. (Last 2016; Naghii 2011; Nielsen 1994; Roth 2017.)
• Boron is anti-inflammatory and reduces oxidative stress. (Donoiu 2018; Nielsen 2017; Hunt 2012; Naghii 2011.)
• Boron is a potent antiseptic, antifungal, and antiviral. It may combat harmful overgrowth of Candida and other fungi. (Last 2016.)
• Boron supports bone and joint health. Boron may improve osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis. (Nielsen 2017; Last 2016; Hunt 2012; Newnham 1994, Unknown year, Unknown year.) Boron in Concentrace may be part of why a randomized, placebo-controlled study found that Concentrace helped osteoarthritis. (Bansal 2012a, 2012b).
• Boron may correlate with lower rates of prostate, cervical, lung, and breast cancers (Nielsen 2017.)
• "[B]oron is for the parathyroids what iodine is for the thyroid." (Last 2016.)
• Boron may improve methylation and reduce homocysteine levels. (Donoiu 2018; Nielsen 2017.)
• Boron may support detoxification of sulfites. (Roberts 2018.)
• Boron may improve insulin sensitivity. (Hunt 2012.)
• Boron may protect DNA from radiation damage. (Olree 2005.)
• Boron supplement gives me peaceful, restful sleep with vivid dreams. This is the strongest effect I've noticed since starting a boron supplement in mid-2017. If I skip the boron supplement, I will wake up feeling much less rested.

Walter Last reports that boron as an arthritis cure has been politically suppressed in favor of pharmaceutical drugs.

There is a scientific journal devoted to boron — Journal of Boron.

It's wonderful to see boron high on the list of most concentrated minerals in Concentrace! There's a significant amount of boron, 1.6 mg, in a daily dose which might help many people a lot!

Concentrace's 1.6 mg of boron is about the same difference described by Rex Newnham between (1) African villagers eating native maize grown without fertilizer, getting 2 mg a day of boron, with 3% arthritis rate, vs. (2) Africans who moved to the city eating industrial fertilized hybrid maize, getting 0.5 mg a day of boron, with 20% arthritis rate.

Selenium

Selenium is essential for:

• making the potent thyroid hormone T3
• glutathione function and fighting harmful oxidative stress
• brain function
• immune function, including antiviral
• reproduction
• anti-inflammatory
• heavy metal detoxification
• possible anti-cancer and cardio-protective benefits
• possible mental and spiritual benefits

(Rayman 2017, 2012; Wilson 2017, 2015.)

Tim Ferriss credits correcting a selenium deficiency as a key factor to tripling his testosterone level.

I'm still not sure how to pronounce "selenium."

Selenium intake varies widely depending on selenium soil content (Rodrigues 2017). In the United States, selenium in surface soils is lower in much of the West and Southeast, and higher in much of the Midwest and Northeast (USGS 2014).

There doesn't seem to be a consensus on optimal selenium intake. Dr. Wilson thinks that selenium deficiency is extremely common, and selenium-rich foods or supplements will help (Wilson 2017, 2015). Dr. Rayman thinks there is a U-shaped curve to selenium's benefits, and that supplementation of 200 mcg/day or more in a selenium-rich country, or 300 mcg/day otherwise, might increase risk of cancer and mortality (Rayman 2017).

Studies are inconclusive about selenium's cancer-fighting benefits (Vinceti 2018). Yet those studies finding harm at higher doses of selenium appear to have several possible flaws:

• The studies may use less effective or more toxic forms of selenium. Several specific forms of selenium, rather than others, have established anti-cancer mechanisms (Stokel 2012; Schrauzer 2009).
• Selenium may be harmful in the absence of enough iodine (Iwakura 2011).
• Selenium may have been given to some study participants alongside a potentially harmful synthetic form of vitamin E (e.g. Kristal 2014).

Given the current suggestions that 0 mcg might be too little and 200 mcg might be too much, the 100 mcg of selenium in a daily dose of Concentrace (Table 1) seems like a good amount. 100 mcg of selenium would probably help many people.

Bromine

Bromine, though not yet recognized by government nutrition guidelines, appears to be an essential nutrient for mechanical strength and signalling in epithelial tissues. Bromine contributes to the function of basement membranes (McCall 2014). Thus, bromine may be critical to healing wounds (Jafari 2017).

Bromine also has been suggested to benefit sleep (Nielsen 1986). Bromine may enhance the beneficial effects of lithium (Harvey 1992).

Too much bromine can cause toxicity by substituting for chlorine and iodine. Harmful amounts of bromine could be in food from agricultural use of bromine or brominated flour or as an additive to soda. (van Leeuwen 1987.)

However, the amounts of bromine known to cause problems are much larger than the amount in Concentrace. 24 milligrams a day for a 60-kg (132-lb) person has been suggested as an acceptable daily intake. (World Health Organization 2010; van Leeuwen 1987.) And 1 mg/kg of bromine, which would be 60 mg daily for a 60-kg/132-lb person, was found to cause no change to physical exam and endocrine hormone levels (Sangster 1982). By comparison, a daily serving of Concentrace contains only 3.7 milligrams of bromine. (Table 1).

The bromine in Concentrace might help our endothelial tissue, wound healing, sleep, and lithium function. And it's probably much less than would be a harmful amount.

Magnesium

Magnesium is the rising superstar of minerals.

Concentrace features magnesium prominently (Table 1). In fact, Concentrace seems to be alternately sold as "Mega Mag."

Here is a journal editorial summarizing both the widespread deficiency and critical importance of magnesium:

"Approximately 50% of Americans consume less than the [Estimated Average Requirement] for magnesium, and some age groups consume substantially less. A growing body of literature from animal, epidemiologic, and clinical studies has demonstrated a varied pathologic role for magnesium deficiency that includes electrolyte, neurologic, musculoskeletal, and inflammatory disorders; osteoporosis; hypertension; cardiovascular diseases; metabolic syndrome; and diabetes. Studies have also demonstrated that magnesium deficiency is associated with several chronic diseases and that a reduced risk of these diseases is observed with higher magnesium intake or supplementation."

(Costello 2016.)

Magnesium deficiency may affect most of the population. There just isn't as much magnesium in the soil as before. And processing food takes out even more magnesium. So does softening drinking water. Calcium and vitamin D supplements may deplete body magnesium further, which is unfortunate because magnesium is needed to experience the benefits of calcium and vitamin D. (Dean 2017; Dean 2011).

Dr. Dean has presented a persuasive case for magnesium deficiency as a primary cause of almost all modern health problems. Indeed, almost all body processes need energy as ATP, and ATP needs magnesium.

All the methylation reactions need magnesium.

The 250 milligrams of magnesium in a serving of Concentrace (Table 1) is a great feature which probably could benefit lots of people.

Arsenic

The amount of arsenic in Concentrace, though of a lower order of magnitude than the top 6 known minerals above, still seems relevant because the arsenic is in inorganic form. The inorganic form of arsenic is more toxic than most organic forms (Bae 2017; Jomova 2011). For example, seaweed, though higher in arsenic, contains primarily organic forms (Lewis 2007).

Based on studies of animals, arsenic is probably essential in a small amount, perhaps 12-25 micrograms of inorganic arsenic daily. However no human deficiency of arsenic has yet been observed. (Nielsen 2016; Dermience 2015; Uthus 1993.)

Arsenic is toxic, especially in chronic exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic. Arsenic causes:

• developmental neurotoxicity (Grandjean 2015),
• cancer and chronic disease via increased oxidative stress (Jomova 2011),
• reproductive harm (Zubair 2017),
• weakened bones (Dermience 2015),
• epigenetic modifications that disturb cellular homeostasis (Bjørklund 2018), and,
• brain damage and increased mortality from a variety of causes (Bae 2017).

Arsenic poisoning occurs due to former widespread use of arsenic pesticides and due to naturally occuring high arsenic levels in certain locations' drinking water. Rice absorbs and concentrates arsenic far more than other plant foods. Those on a gluten-free diet may have higher arsenic levels due to eating more rice (Punshon 2018; Bulka 2017).

Some have questioned Concentrace on the basis of arsenic. (Patel 2014; Peak Testosterone unknown year a, b.)

Concentrace has about the same amount of inorganic arsenic as rice. A label daily serving of Concentrace contains around 5 micrograms of inorganic arsenic (Table 1). A 45-g serving of rice (1/4 cup uncooked, 165 calories) contains 6.6 micrograms (brown rice) or 3.7 micrograms (white rice) of inorganic arsenic — with substantial variations based on region of growth and type of rice (Consumer Reports 2014).

Consumer Reports recommends limiting rice to 2 servings a week, or more of certain types of rice, due to inorganic arsenic (Consumer Reports 2014). Perhaps inorganic arsenic might be a reason to limit intake of Concentrace too — maybe 10 or 20 drops a day instead of the 49-drop label serving, or taking some days off.

However, as discussed above, Concentrace contains many beneficial minerals. Some, such as lithium, boron, and magnesium, help the methylation cycle of biochemical reactions. Methylation is how the body detoxifies arsenic (Bae 2017; Reed 2015). Thus, the other beneficial minerals may protect against the inorganic arsenic in Concentrace.

The arsenic in Concentrace might be as harmful as eating a serving of rice. I'm guessing maybe not because the other beneficial minerals in Concentrace will play a protective role against the arsenic.

Iodine

Iodine and selenium work together in the thyroid. Studies of people in Zaire deficient in both iodine and selenium found that a 50 microgram selenium supplement, given without iodine, exacerbated iodine deficiency and worsened thyroid function. (Iwakura 2011; Vanderpas 1993; Contempré 1992; Contempré 1991.)

Since a daily serving of Concentrace contains 100 micrograms of selenium (Table 1), more than used in the Zaire studies, it's possible that the selenium in Concentrace could worsen iodine deficiency.

Concentrace does contain 7 micrograms of iodine (Table 1), but this is a very small portion of daily intake (Table 3; Table 4). It may be important to have an additional reliable source of iodine when taking Concentrace.

Iodine plays many roles in the body — not just in the thyroid, also in the brain (IQ), breast, skin, prostate, immune system, mucous membranes and more. Iodine deficiency is common in many nations due to soil conditions. (Sircus 2017; Abraham various years; Sircus & Last 2007.)

Due to low iodine content of modern plant foods, low iodine status may affect as many as 25% of vegetarians and 80% of vegans (Krajcovicova-Kudlackova 2003).

Optimal intake of iodine is controvesial. The U.S. government recommends an RDA of 150 mcg for adults with an upper limit of 1100 mcg (U.S. Nat'l Institutes of Health 2018). The Japan government recommends an RDA of 130 mcg for adults with an upper limit of 3000 mcg (Japan Minister of Health 2015). In Japan, a country known for excellent health, traditional Japanese diet includes high iodine intake from seaweed, with total iodine intake estimated 1,000-3,000 mcg (Zava 2011). Thus, traditional Japanese iodine intake is higher than the U.S. upper limit.

The widespread modern increase in fluorine (and also bromine and chlorine and various toxins) leads some doctors to recommend much larger daily amounts of iodine, 12500 to 50000 mcg. (Sircus 2017; Abraham various years; Sircus & Last 2007.) Depending on who you ask, fluorine is either a beneficial nutrient to strengthen teeth, or a potent neurotoxin which is poisoning the water supply. Fluorine may replace iodine in the thyroid, pineal gland and other parts of the body. Levels of fluorine similar to those added to tap water reduced the IQ of children in numerous studies (Connett 2018; Choi 2012). Researchers of developmental neurotoxicity stated:

"For lead, methylmercury, and arsenic, the evidence available today clearly shows that these trace elements are contributing to the “silent pandemic”. Less evidence is available on manganese, fluoride, and cadmium, but experience from the previously mentioned trace elements suggest that, with time, adverse effects are likely to be documented at exposures previously thought to be low and safe."

(Grandjean 2015). Fluoride is abundant today and may be a toxic substitute for iodine. We may be more prone to iodine deficiency now.

Concentrace might be better with some extra iodine together with it. How much is enough, there isn't a clear answer. Maybe eating some iodized salt or a multivitamin with 100 or 200 mcg might be enough, maybe not. I currently take 2500 mcg a day of iodine as Lugol's solution, approximately matching the amount in the Japanese diet. The Lugol's has given me sharper, clearer thinking and maybe helped in other ways too. I will try a higher dose gradually.

It's too soon to say an optimal iodine dosage. Due to the selenium in Concentrace, anyone taking at least half the label daily dose of Concentrace might want to get at least a little bit of extra iodine.