mineral · for low mood
Manganese
Trace mineral for bone health, metabolism, and antioxidant function.
How strong is the research?
Not verified evidence
1 paper read, 1 supporting.
Tested as: Manganese supplied in a controlled formulated diet at either 1.0 or 5.6 mg/day; the paper does not name a salt or chemical form. Crossed factorially with calcium at 587 or 1336 mg/day.
Who was studied: 10 healthy women with regular periods and no PMS. They lived in a research unit around the clock.
We found 1 study on this. We have not finished reading them yet, so we are not ready to say either way.
How much to take
1–5.6 mg
Before you take it
- NIH ODS Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for manganese is 11 mg/day for adults 19 and older; the primary adverse effect of chronic high-dose intake is neurotoxicity (manganism).
- People with chronic liver disease have impaired manganese elimination and face heightened toxicity risk even at lower supplemental intakes.
- NIH ODS explicitly states manganese has no known clinically relevant interactions with medications. Antibiotic chelation interactions (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones) that are well-documented for calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc do not have equivalent NIH ODS documentation for manganese; prior audit warnings on this point appear to be cross-contaminated from other minerals.
- Adult Adequate Intake (AI) is 2.3 mg/day for men and 1.8 mg/day for women; most adults meet or exceed this through diet alone, meaning supplementation may provide no incremental benefit for replete individuals.