What is molybdenum?

Editor’s note: This article has been reprinted. First published October 17, 2016.

What’s in unfiltered water, cheese, grains, leafy greens and liver? If you said molybdenum, you are correct. But few people know that this little-known trace element is essential for almost all life on Earth.

Molybdenum helps in the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates and is an essential catalyst for enzymes that promote the breakdown of certain amino acids in the body.¹ Its role is essential to health. Tooth enamel contains high amounts of molybdenum, a mineral that helps reduce cavities.

In humans, molybdenum deficiency, although rare and usually limited to those who require intravenous infusion, causes problems such as headaches, rapid heartbeat, mental health problems, and even coma. Signs of deficiency include problems producing uric acid and decreased metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids.

It’s a good thing that all the foods listed above contain this ingredient. However, the amount found in plant foods is directly related to the amount found in the soil in which that food is grown. Molybdenum is also available as a supplement in liquid and capsule form. Tetrathiomolybdate is a form of molybdenum that lowers copper levels in the body, making it effective in treating fibrosis, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases.

As Livestrong reports, molybdenum is an element needed in soil to prevent the formation of cancer-causing substances known as nitrosamines in plant foods. Animal studies have also shown that:^2,3

“(Molybdenum) dramatically inhibits lung and liver fibrosis, which causes tissue thickening and scarring, helps prevent liver damage caused by acetaminophen, and reduces heart damage caused by the bacterial antibiotic doxorubicin. Tetrathiomolyb “Dating also has a partially protective effect against diabetes.”

On a technical note, in humans, molybdenum is known to function as a cofactor (a compound needed for the enzymes to do their job) for four enzymes.

• Sulfite oxidase — This enzyme, which is essential for human health, causes the rapid change from sulfite to sulfate. This is a necessary reaction for the body to use sulfur-containing amino acids, which are the “building blocks” of the proteins methionine and cysteine.
• Xanthine oxidase — This enzyme catalyzes the breakdown of nucleotides, the precursors of DNA and RNA, to form uric acid, which helps maintain clotting factors in plasma and resist reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the blood’s antioxidant capacity.
• Aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase — These enzymes contain several molecules with similar chemical structures and help metabolize drugs and toxins.
• Mitochondrial amidoxime reduction component (mARC) — Relatively new in terms of discovery of its role in the body, mARC accelerates the elimination of certain toxic substances.⁴

Molybdenum and Supplementary Amounts

One way molybdenum helps you stay healthy is by breaking down the foods you eat, including proteins. What is not used immediately is stored for later use, but most is passed out of the body through urination. Interestingly, herbivores known as ruminants have multiple stomachs. In the digestive tract, compounds containing sulfur and molybdenum form thiomolybdate, which interferes with copper absorption and causes fatal copper-dependent disease.⁵

Because similar problems occur in humans, thiomolybdate therapy is sometimes used to treat a genetic disorder called Wilson’s disease in which copper builds up and eventually damages the liver and brain. It is also used for inflammatory diseases and certain types of cancer. According to the Linus Pauling Institute:⁶

“Copper is also a necessary cofactor for enzymes involved in inflammation and angiogenesis, which are known to accelerate cancer progression and metastasis. Copper depletion studies using TM (thiomolybdate) It was initiated in patients with advanced malignancies with the aim of preventing disease progression or recurrence.

“These pilot trials have shown promising results in patients with metastatic kidney cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and breast cancer who are at high risk of recurrence.”

Most people in the United States get the molybdenum they need only through their diet. This is desirable. However, if this is not possible, supplementation is another option. According to the National Institute of Medicine, here are the recommended daily allowances (RDA) for molybdenum: However, although these amounts may prevent deficiency, there is currently no scientific evidence that consuming more is healthy. Too much has been proven to be harmful.

Molybdenum-deficient soil linked to esophageal cancer

In areas with little access to molybdenum-rich foods, minimal dietary molybdenum intake has been associated with esophageal and stomach cancer. For example, in a small region of northern China, rates of esophageal and stomach cancer are 10 times higher than the national average in China and 100 times higher than the U.S. average. According to one study:⁷

“The soils in this region are low in molybdenum and other minerals, so dietary molybdenum intake is also low.

Studies conducted in other areas with low and high rates of esophageal cancer have shown that molybdenum and zinc content in hair and nails is significantly lower in residents of high-risk areas compared to cold spots.

Additionally, esophageal cancer patients showed decreased trace element content compared to their healthy relatives.”

Adding ammonium molybdate to soil is thought to reduce cancer rates. However, dietary supplementation of minerals and vitamins, including molybdenum, in the Linxian region of China had no effect on reducing cancer mortality over 5 years.⁸

At the same time, Rugao County, Jiangsu Province, China is famous for having residents in their 80s. The food habits, traditions and lifestyle are similar to those of the surrounding areas, but there is one difference. Rugao has a “plenty” of different soil types, which may have something to do with the remarkable longevity of its residents. According to a study published in the journal Environmental Geochemistry and Health:⁹

“Based on a village (approximately 4,000 people (2) per 4 km), the ratio of people aged 90 or older per 100,000 residents (90-rate) was correlated with trace elements contained in soil, drinking water, and rice through correlation analysis. A similar relationship was found between the available elements in soil and those in water and rice.

These results suggest that: (1) Element forms available in the soil were more (essential) for element bioavailability in ecosystems and human health than the total elements in the soil. (2) The above elemental associations may have had a positive impact on the 90-ratio and may be an important environmental geochemical factor affecting human lifespan.”

Nitrosamines and NMMG — known carcinogens

Scientists believe the higher incidence of certain cancers may be linked to dietary or environmental factors, including increased intake of nitrosamines, known carcinogens, which are more often found in plant foods grown in soils deficient in molybdenum. Livestrong says:¹⁰

“Lack of molybdenum uptake in plants leads to the production of nitrosamines, because the enzyme nitrate reductase cannot function properly without the molybdenum cofactor.”

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program:¹¹ When using cigarettes, saliva reduces nitrates to nitrites, forming these harmful compounds in the gastrointestinal tract. It is an internal formation that is “the leading cause of human exposure to N-nitrosamines.”

Additionally, the derivative, N-Methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), was found to be “reasonably expected to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in laboratory animal studies.” Different types of exposure have resulted in the development of tumors in several animals.

Nitrosamines are toxic to more animal species than any other category of chemical carcinogens, according to the UK’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.¹² Health problems caused by nitrosamines include cancer, organ system toxicity, and endocrine disruption. Molybdenum’s antioxidant properties help break down toxins in the body, including cancer-causing nitrosamines from food and other sources.