Uses of Vanadium in The Human Body – Interaction and Properties

The chemical element represented by the V symbol and with the atomic number 23 is vanadium. Vanadium has a silver-gray color. Vanadium is included in the soft metal. Vanadium occurs naturally in 65 different minerals and in fossil deposits.

Vanadium is a bright, white, soft and resilient element, and is mostly found in vanadinite and carnotite. It is known for its high structural strength and prominence used in high speed tools used for rust resistance, as a catalyst, as an agent in bonded titanium steel, to make surgical instruments, as color fixers, dyes and ceramics, and as a carbon stabilizer.

Spanish mineralogy Andres Manuel del Rio discovered this mineral in 1801 in Mexico City. It was discovered by the Swedish scientist, Nils Sefstrom in 1830 and in 1867 was isolated by Henry Enfield Roscoe. In the periodic table it is placed in 3 to 12 groups of transition metals and is a heat and electrical conductor.

Who is the inventor of Vanadium?

In 1801, a Mexican mineral expert named Andres Manuel Del Rio discovered the material he called “brown lead”. He then renames this compound as erythronium which means red and it is named so because this element turns red when heating. On the other side of the world, a Swedish chemist named Nils Gabriel Sefstrom isolated a new material from iron ore which he named vanadium in honor of the goddess of beauty and fertility. In his study, he found that vanadium produces many beautifully colored chemical compounds.

In 1831, a geologist named George William Featherstonhaugh suggested that vanadium should be replaced as a “rionium” after Andres Manuel Del Rio. However, the proposal was rejected. In the end, the name vanadium was chosen. Isolation of vanadium metals from other ores is found to be difficult. In 1927, pure vanadium was extracted by reacting vanadium pentoxide with calcium. Vanadium was first used on a large scale in the steel industry. It was used to make the model car chassis ford T.

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Where is the Vanadium Source?

The total estimation of vanadium resources is about 63 million tons. Some rock deposits have vanadium as their trace element and vanadium is also found as a by-product of mining operations. Vanadium is also found in magnetite ie iron oxide deposits. Iron oxide is also very rich in vanadium elements. It is also found in bauxite (aluminum ore), high amounts of phosphate bearing minerals, and sandstones (with high uranium content). Vanadium is also found in carbon-rich deposits such as coal, oil shale, crude oil, and tar sand.

This trace element is found in the human body. Vanadium is an essential ingredient for ascidians, also known as marine sprinklers. The concentration of vanadium is one million times higher than the vanadium concentration in seawater. Vanadium is also present in various types of fungi and algae. Vanadium deficiency results in reduced growth and reproductive disorders.

Vanadium is extracted mostly from heavy oil dust or as a by-product of uranium mining. It is manufactured in China and Russia of steel slag smelting (products obtained from smelting of o ore separating metal fractions). The vanadium ions are found in some organisms as toxins.

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Uses of Vanadium in The Human Body

Then what are the uses of Vanadium in the human body? Let us consider the following explanation:
Uses of Vanadium in the Human Body, as follows:
1. Vanadium is a micronutrient
(nutrients needed by living things throughout their lives in small amounts.) Essential to humans and other mammals.

2. Vanadium prevents the formation of cholesterol and is important for the growth of bone, cartilage and teeth.

3.Vanadium can lower blood sugar

People with diabetes should check their blood sugar carefully and watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia); However Vanadium is not safe when used in large quantities and for a long time. This increases the risk of serious side effects including kidney damage;

Vanadium is possibility safe in children when taken in quantities found in food. Do not give child supplements. Not enough is known about the safety of larger doses in children; Special Precautions & Warnings: Pregnancy and breastfeeding: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, limit your vanadium intake to the amount found in food. Not enough is known about the safety of taking larger doses.

4. As sports supplement

Vanadium is also advertised as a sports supplement to improve performance but there is not enough evidence to prove that it works. In fact, one clinical trial examining the use of vanadium in athletes found no benefit at all and was controversial. Vanadium if necessary should be taken only when prescribed by a doctor. Usually 30-60mg of vanadyl sulfate is the daily dose as a supplement. 

5.Vanadium can slow blood clotting.

Vanadium can slow blood clotting. Taking vanadium along with drugs that are also slow freezing may increase the chances of bruising and bleeding;

6. For water retention, cancer, and several other conditions.

Vanadium is said to be effective in the treatment of water retention, cancer and several other conditions. On average, to take advantage of Vanadium with no side effects, adults should not take more than 1.8mg of this mineral through diet.

7. Vanadium is required by various types of bacteria and is sometimes used for molybdenum.

8. Vanadium affects catecholamines and lipid metabolism. The reason, vanadium proven to lower the production of cholesterol fat.

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Food sources of Vanadium are mostly found in fats and vegetable oils. For example soy, sunflower oil, corn, and olives. In addition, vanadium is found in rice, green beans, carrots and cabbage.

That’s all about the uses of vanadium in human body. Hope this article is helpful. Thanks.