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Silicon - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources
What is Silicon?
Silicon is a mineral which is not commonly written about as an essential nutrient. It found in the soil and is actually, it is the most abundant mineral in the earth's crust. This mineral is lost easily in food processing. Only about 2 percent of the original silicon is left in milled flour. Soil may also become deficient in silicon, and it is not being replaced. The human body contains approximately 7 grams of silicon, which is present in various tissues and body fluids. Silicon in blood is almost entirely found as either free orthosilicic acid or linked to small compounds. Silicon plays an important role in maintaining bones after their formation.
Uses and Benefits of Silicon
- Silicon promotes firmness and strength in the tissues. It is part of the arteries, tendons, skin, connective tissue, and eyes.
- Collagen contains silicon, helping hold the body tissues together.
- Silicon is also thought to radiate or transmit energy in its crystalline structure. It is thought by some to be able to deeply penetrate the tissues and help to clear stored toxins.
- Silicon is a cross-linking agent in the glycosaminoglycan network which attracts and holds water in the joint.
- Silicon is important for optimal collagen synthesis.
- Silicon is one of the predominant minerals in nails. A sign that Silicon may be systematically deficient is brittle and soft nails.
- It helps maintain the elasticity of the skin, so it may be one of our ant aging nutrients.
- Silicon is thought to help heal fractures and may have some role in the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis.
Deficiency Symptoms of Silicon
- The deficiency of silicon mostally affect to the strength and integrity of bones everywhere in the body. The bones lost their strength and these become soft.
- Silicon deficiency also causes hair loss and Osteoporosis in body.
- Silicon deficiency also causes severity in fractures and osteoporosis.
- The chief symptom of silicon deficiency is sensitiveness to cold: one always feels cold even in the hot months.
Recommended Dosage of Silicon
There is not recommended dietary allowance for silicon. The average diet provides about 1-1.5 grams of this mineral, but eating a diet high in processed foods and avoiding the basic vegetable and grain foods may diminish our intake of silicon.
Rich Food Sources of Silicon
Silicon is widely available in food. It is part of plant fibers and is found in high amounts in the hulls of wheat, oats, and rice, in sugar beet and cane pulp, in alfalfa, and in the herbs horsetail, comfrey, and nettles. While whole grain foods are a good, natural source of silicon, the silicon from these foods is insoluble and cannot be directly absorbed in the gastro-intestinal tract.
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