Human Studies
The importance of Silicon may be best demonstrated by the increase of osteoporosis, joint weakness, digestive disorders, arterial health concerns, and skin disorders over the past 50 years. Research has linked the surprising Silicon deficiencies in the modern diet and agriculture with the fact that Silicon levels in the body decrease with age. The body of evidence is building showing that Silicon may be a key to unlocking the solution to many modern health concerns.
Scroll down to review each Synopsis and Complete Article or Abstract
Dietary Silicon Intake Is Positively Associated With Bone Mineral Density
Katherine L Tucker, U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging,Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Ravin Jugdaohsingh,Gastrointestinal Laboratory, The Rayne Institute, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Ning Qiao, U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging,Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
L Adrienne Cupples, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Douglas P Kiel, Harvard Medical School Division on Aging, HRCA Research and Training Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Jonathan J Powell, MRC Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge, United Kingdom
These authors contributed equally.
Synopsis: The findings suggest that higher dietary silicon intake in men and younger women may have salutary effects on skeletal health, especially cortical bone health, that has not been previously recognized.
Ravin Jugdaohsingh,Gastrointestinal Laboratory, The Rayne Institute, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Ning Qiao, U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging,Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
L Adrienne Cupples, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Douglas P Kiel, Harvard Medical School Division on Aging, HRCA Research and Training Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Jonathan J Powell, MRC Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge, United Kingdom
These authors contributed equally.
Synopsis: The findings suggest that higher dietary silicon intake in men and younger women may have salutary effects on skeletal health, especially cortical bone health, that has not been previously recognized.
Dietary Silicon Intake and Absorption
Ravin Jugdaohsingh, Simon HC Anderson, Katherine L Tucker, Hazel Elliott, Douglas P Kiel, Richard PH Thompson, and Jonathan J Powell
From the Gastrointestinal Laboratory, The Rayne Institute, St Thomas’Hospital, London, the Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London and the Harvard Medical School Division on Aging, HRCA Research and Training Institute, Boston
Synopsis: Evidence that silicon plays a major role in bone formation has been accumulating recently, yet the bioavailability of silicon from the diet is unclear.
From the Gastrointestinal Laboratory, The Rayne Institute, St Thomas’Hospital, London, the Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London and the Harvard Medical School Division on Aging, HRCA Research and Training Institute, Boston
Synopsis: Evidence that silicon plays a major role in bone formation has been accumulating recently, yet the bioavailability of silicon from the diet is unclear.
Silicates and Bone Fusion
Walid Waked, MD and Jonathan Grauer, MD, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Synopsis: Silicon has been shown to affect bone formation. In the 1970’s, Carlisle, Schwarz and Milne independently reported animal studies noting that silicon deficiency results in abnormal bone formation. This was correlated with decreased deposition of both extracellular matrix (collagen) and bone mineral (HA). Silicon-deficient diets have been shown to result in bone malformations, decreased acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, and decreased collagen and copper concentrations in animal trials. Reduced levels of copper, manganese and zinc, all minerals observed to be critical to bone mineralization in horses, were also noted in the femur and vertebrae of silicon-deficient animals.
Synopsis: Silicon has been shown to affect bone formation. In the 1970’s, Carlisle, Schwarz and Milne independently reported animal studies noting that silicon deficiency results in abnormal bone formation. This was correlated with decreased deposition of both extracellular matrix (collagen) and bone mineral (HA). Silicon-deficient diets have been shown to result in bone malformations, decreased acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, and decreased collagen and copper concentrations in animal trials. Reduced levels of copper, manganese and zinc, all minerals observed to be critical to bone mineralization in horses, were also noted in the femur and vertebrae of silicon-deficient animals.
