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LITHIUM |
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| Facts |
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The lightest of all minerals,
lithium (Li) has a density half that of water.
It is distributed throughout the Earth's crust.
It can vary between 1.2 parts per million (ppm)
in light organic soils to 98 ppm in alluvial soils.1
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Although not proven essential
yet, there is growing evidence that lithium plays
a number of roles within the human body.
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The average daily intake of Li
has been estimated to vary between 10 mcg to 2
mg per day. The average output in humans per day
is estimated in the range of 200 to 800 mcg.
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| Functions |
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Involved in the respiration of
nuclear membranes at the intracellular level,
uptake of glucose into cells, improved fertility,
aids in treating sodium imbalances in atherosclerosis,
hypertension, mental disorders and aggression.
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According to Alexander Schauss,
Ph.D.,"Other evidence finds that Li is incorporated
into bone at a rate directly proportional to the
rate of bone growth, probably owing to the physicochemical
similarities between Li, calcium and magnesium."1
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Requirements
No Recommended Daily Allowance has been set. for Lithium.
Signs of Deficiency
In animal studies, specifically female goats, inducing
a lithium deficiency led to diminished fertility and
increased postpartum mortalities.1
Signs of Toxicity
Not available.
Current Research
Sodium Imbalances
According to
Schauss, in the mid-1970's, it was advanced that Li
may confer a protective effect in treating sodium imbalance
that contributes to atherosclerotic heart disease in
humans. Other trials have shown that supplementing lithium
chloride for sodium chloride reduced hypertension in
persons with high blood pressure. Notes Schauss, "Recently
researchers have found that Li's beneficial effect on
salt imbalances may be due to the way in which Li is
metabolised differently in the body than Na [sodium]
and K [potassium]."1
Mental Disorders
Researchers in Texas have noted since the 1970's that
lithium, contained in the drinking water, was inversely
associated with the incidence of admissions and readmission
of patients for psychoses, neuroses, and personality
disorders in 27 Texas state mental hospitals.1 Two years
later the same study was repeated, with the results
confirming the original's study's conclusion and that
homicide rates were inversely related to lithium levels
in water.
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1 Schauss, A. Minerals and human health:
the rationale for optimal and balanced trace element levels.
Life Sciences Press, 1995: pp 35-38.
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