Zirconium: in Diabetes
Zirconium (Zr)
The daily requirement for zirconium in the human body has not been established.
Daily, about 0.05 mg of zirconium enters the human body through food, where normally about 1 mg of zirconium is present. Water-soluble zirconium compounds in the alkaline environment of the intestine can be converted to zirconium oxide and then absorbed. The absorption of zirconium in the gastrointestinal tract is low – about 0.2%, while in the lungs this figure is 25%. Zirconium accumulates in the spleen, lungs, kidneys, muscles (from 0.01 to 2–3 mg/kg), and in hair, where its content is 1.1–1.6 mg/kg.
Residents of Ukraine and Russia remember zirconium bracelets, which supposedly lower blood pressure. They have no real therapeutic effect, as zirconium does not interact with the body when applied externally and, naturally, cannot exert a therapeutic effect. In this case, the “magnetic” explanation is also not applicable, as zirconium does not possess magnetic properties.
Until the 1960s, deodorants containing zirconium were produced, which could cause allergic skin reactions in consumers. Allergic reactions are also possible when wearing zirconium bracelets for “therapeutic” purposes.
Dietary sources of zirconium: meat, meat by-products; nuts and seeds: peanuts, sesame, poppy, macadamia, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, hazelnuts; dried fruits: dried apricots; cereals and legumes: beans, peas, buckwheat, corn, oats, millet, soft wheat, hard wheat, long-grain white rice, short-grain white rice, unpolished rice, wild rice, rye, soybeans, beans, lentils, barley; mushrooms: chanterelles.