Manganese

Manganese is actively involved in the metabolism of all living organisms, and especially in the human body. However, these living organisms contain an extremely small proportion of manganese, so it is mainly taken from pharmaceutical preparations. What is the use of manganese and how to replenish its reserves in the body?

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Sources containing manganese

There is a lot of manganese in the earth's crust, it is second only to iron. But manganese in its pure form is difficult to find anywhere in nature: it is found only in a number of chemical compounds. As for food, manganese is found most in hazelnuts - 4.2 mg, in pistachios - 3.8 mg, in peanuts - 1.93 mg, in almonds - 1.92 mg, in walnuts = 1.9 mg, in spinach - 0.90 mg, in garlic - 0.81 mg.

Manganese is found in mushrooms - for example, in birch bolete it is 0.74 mg, in chanterelles 0.41 mg, and in boletus 0.23 mg. Manganese is even in pasta - there is 0.58 mg. Manganese is also found in green tea and berries: bird cherry, lingonberry, strawberry, blueberry, black currant.

There is very little manganese in meat and fish.

Useful properties of manganese

Without manganese, the normal functioning of the central nervous system is impossible. This useful microelement helps a person feel much stronger and calmer, not so quickly get offended and excited in awkward situations, under stress.

Manganese controls the production of special substances – neurotransmitters, which are physiologically active. They are responsible for the rapid transmission of nerve impulses from nerve tissue fibers to other similar fibers.

Manganese also helps normal development of the skeletal system. If manganese is present in the body in the right doses, bones grow and develop normally.

Manganese is as necessary for bones as calcium. With the help of manganese, the human body's immune system becomes less susceptible to pathogenic bacteria and viruses, reacts to them faster and protects a person from various diseases. In particular, from colds.

With the help of manganese, fat metabolism and insulin metabolism are more active in the body; with the help of manganese, all processes of the gastrointestinal tract can be well controlled.

Manganese and vitamins

The absorption of vitamins thanks to manganese occurs faster, especially vitamins of group B, vitamin C, vitamin E. With manganese, new cells of the body multiply and develop faster, with it, wounds, scratches and other skin damages heal faster. With manganese, the brain works faster and more clearly and the metabolism occurs faster.

Surprisingly, thanks to manganese, people manage to alleviate attacks of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis. Manganese helps cartilage grow faster and become stronger - this function is especially useful for children, adolescents and people who have suffered bone tissue injuries. Manganese also actively helps to fight cataracts, multiple sclerosis of the retina and other eye diseases, which is especially useful for people who are losing their sight, as well as the elderly.

Preventing Diabetes with Manganese

According to many theories, manganese can be used to prevent diabetes – it slows down this insidious disease and prevents it from developing. Thyroid diseases would also be much less common if people took manganese in sufficient quantities.

Manganese affects the cardiovascular system and insulin metabolism. Scientific research proves that the body of a person with diabetes has half the manganese of those who do not suffer from this disease. This is because manganese is needed to process sugar. If a person has diabetes, he needs to take manganese in increased quantities - either as a supplement or in combination with other supplements, vitamins and minerals.

Manganese and muscle reflexes

With the help of manganese, you can restore lost muscle tone or improve their condition. Legs and arms that have lost sensitivity as a result of diseases can regain it thanks to manganese.

Manganese stops or slows down the development of osteoporosis and arthrosis. It helps blood vessels develop more actively. The quality of blood flow improves. When a person takes manganese, there is much less bad cholesterol in the blood, the blood clots better, it is not so fatty and viscous, the risk of blood clots decreases.

Have you heard how your or someone you know has crunching joints in your neck, fingers, knees? If you eat foods with manganese, you will get rid of these problems. Muscles, bones and tendons will become stronger and more mobile when this microelement is included in the diet, there will be fewer sprains and fractures.

Manganese and Childbirth

Thanks to manganese, the quality of sperm improves in men. Spermatozoa become more mobile, they penetrate the egg faster, and the woman's chance of getting pregnant increases. If a woman consumes manganese, it gives her the opportunity to improve the functioning of the ovaries, which means that the chances of conceiving and giving birth to a child increase.

When pregnant women take manganese, the fetus develops more correctly, without deviations. The chance of giving birth to a healthy child, physically strong and mentally sound, increases. Manganese also helps the formation of milk in mothers who breastfeed.

Manganese and tissue structure

Manganese is able to improve the structure of all tissues of the body: both bone and muscle, and it also has a good effect on the brain. Manganese is able to influence the work of the whole body so that a person's memory functions improve, attentiveness increases, and concentration on a particular task increases. Manganese affects the process of blood cell formation and the movement of blood through the veins and arteries.

Manganese is especially important for removing toxins from the body and neutralizing them. In cases of poisoning, even in infectious disease wards, a solution of weak potassium permanganate was given in large quantities. This reduced the risk after poisoning, helped remove toxins, and improved the functioning of internal organs.

However, the correct doses of manganese products are needed for its effect on the body to be truly beneficial.

Daily requirement of manganese

To cover the daily dose of manganese for the body, it is important to eat more plant foods, preferably without heat treatment. These are vegetables, greens, fruits. The daily requirement for manganese for those who have already left childhood is from 2 to 9 mg. For children, this requirement depends on how much the child weighs. Children under 7 years old need up to 0.1 mg of manganese per 1 kg of weight, and for children from 12 to 18 years old - 0.09 mg per 1 kg of their weight.

Lack of manganese in the body

It is better, of course, not to allow this. If a person does not eat plant foods, subjects them to heat treatment, does not replenish the deficiency of vitamins and microelements with the help of vitamin-mineral complexes, then he is at risk of manganese deficiency. It leads to malfunctions of the nervous system, sexual dysfunction in both men and women. For women, manganese deficiency can result in problems with conception and bearing a child.

Manganese is especially necessary in a state of constant stress. If a person spends a lot of mental energy at work, manganese is simply vital. It helps restore cell membranes, remove toxins from the body, and normal functioning of nerve cells is impossible without manganese.

How does a person feel when they have a manganese deficiency?

This is not a state to be envied. Although with a manganese deficiency the body is able to stop its excretion, which retains the remains of this useful microelement, this process cannot last forever. With a pronounced manganese deficiency a person gets tired very quickly, his head may hurt and spin, his legs become weak, his muscles no longer serve so confidently, a person needs to constantly rest for no apparent reason, which, of course, affects his performance. Who would like it if a person in a rather blooming age is constantly weak, sullen and constantly wants to lie down?

With a lack of manganese, excess weight can accumulate, which is difficult to cope with, muscles can ache and refuse to serve. As a reaction of the body to a lack of manganese, an allergy to many products, even dust, can occur, diabetes develops, which also contributes to excess weight.

If there is not enough manganese in the body, joints and muscles may ache, rheumatism develops, which is characterized by severe pain. The list of diseases associated with a lack of manganese includes vitiligo, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, rickets, and immune system disorders.

If manganese deficiency is detected in children, such a child may lag behind their peers in development, get tired quickly, walk poorly, and have poor memory and attention. Children with manganese deficiency in the body have poorly developed skeletal systems, and muscles may ache even with minor physical exertion.

What foods interfere with the absorption of manganese

These can be chocolate, cocoa, candies with cocoa in the composition, chocolate products. The body uses more manganese if a person takes drugs to reduce blood pressure, and also eats too much protein and fatty foods.

What are the dangers of excess manganese?

If there is too much manganese in the body, it also has a negative effect on human health. Due to the excess of manganese, iron may be poorly absorbed, and too much copper accumulates in the body. Such drugs as phosphorus, iron, calcium slow down the absorption of manganese. Therefore, you need to be very careful with the vitamin and mineral complexes that you take.

Manganese: contraindications for use

In some diseases, it is necessary to limit or completely exclude preparations with manganese in their composition. These are diseases associated with people working in hazardous industries in conditions where a lot of manganese accumulates: steel plants, mines, enterprises where people work with fuel oil, electrical equipment, gasoline, oils. Then there may even be poisoning with compounds that contain an excess of manganese.

Consumption of manganese is not recommended for people suffering from Parkinson's disease. That is why, before taking manganese, you should consult with your doctor regarding its dosage.