Boron

Safety and Pitfalls

• Elevated adverse/interactions signal in literature; review medications and conditions before use.[57,132,137, etc.]
• High interaction-signal count detected in literature search.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: Ask ODS Join the ODS Email List Consumer Datos en español Health Professional Other Resources Table of Contents Introduction Recommended Intakes Sources of Boron Boron Intakes and Status Boron Deficiency Boron and Health Health Risks from Excessive Boron Interactions with Medications Boron and Healthful Diets References Disclaimer This is a fact sheet intended for health professionals.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: Cancer Preliminary evidence suggests that dietary boron intake might affect cancer risk.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: Several observational studies found that boron intakes are inversely associated with prostate cancer risk in men and with lung and cervical cancer risk in women [ 1 , 9 , 41-44 ].[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: For example, in a case control study of 763 women with lung cancer and 838 healthy women, those in the lowest quartile of boron intake (less than 0.78 mg/day) had almost twice the risk of lung cancer of those in the highest quartile (more than 1.25 mg/day) [ 44 ].[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: An observational study in Turkey evaluated two criteria for prostate cancer risk, prostate size and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: Health Risks from Excessive Boron No data are available on adverse effects of high boron intakes from food or water [ 2 ].[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: Boron toxicity can also cause headache, hypothermia, restlessness, weariness, renal injury, dermatitis, alopecia, anorexia, and indigestion.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS safety note: A human health risk assessment of boron (boric acid and borax) in drinking water.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS interaction note: Ask ODS Join the ODS Email List Consumer Datos en español Health Professional Other Resources Table of Contents Introduction Recommended Intakes Sources of Boron Boron Intakes and Status Boron Deficiency Boron and Health Health Risks from Excessive Boron Interactions with Medications Boron and Healthful Diets References Disclaimer This is a fact sheet intended for health professionals.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS interaction note: Food and Drug Administration developed Daily Values (DVs) to help consumers compare the nutrient contents of products within the context of a total diet.[57,132,137, etc.]
• ODS interaction note: Interactions with Medications Boron is not known to have any clinically relevant interactions with medications.[57,132,137, etc.]
• Population caution: Boron Intakes and Status According to data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988–1994) and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (1994–1996), median dietary boron intakes range from 0.87 to 1.35 mg/day in adults, 1.05 to 1.08 mg/day in pregnant women, and 0.75 to 0.96 mg/day in school-age children [ 2 ].[57,132,137, etc.]
• Legacy caution group: Hormone-sensitive cancers without physician guidance[57,132,137, etc.]