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Health Benefits & Toxicity of the Element Tin,
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and its Effect on Adrenals, Depression and Fatigue
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While Tin (Sn) has been established to be an essential trace element for some animals (they won't grow well
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without it), some researchers are still unsure of whether tin is essential to human health. Daily dietary intake
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of tin from various food sources is in the 1 - 3 mg range, which is less than 1/10th of the daily intake obtained
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years ago before lacquering tin cans, switching to aluminum cans, or, in the more distant past, when tin cups
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or tin pans were still in use. Since bronze contains copper and tin, the use of tin has been established well
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past the Bronze Age, several thousand years ago.
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Rat studies have shown that tin-deficient diets resulted in poor growth, reduced feeding efficiency, hearing
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loss, and bilateral (male pattern) hair loss. Tipton and Shafer examined tin in human tissue after accidental
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deaths. They noted that tin was found in the aorta, brain, heart, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary, spleen, pancreas,
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testes, stomach, and uterus, but none was found in the thyroid of any victim, while the prostate, which usually
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shows no other trace element, had tin.
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Average concentrations were the same range as cobalt, iodine, chromium, and selenium, which are known
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vital nutrients. Inorganic tin is capable of entering into biological activity at saline pH, and it is far less toxic
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than other known vital trace elements such as copper and cobalt. In addition, tin levels do not vary statistically
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with age, gender, or geographical areas. Misk found traces of tin in the fetal heart and spleen, and higher
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levels in the liver, while Schroeder and others reported no tin in stillborns.
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As mentioned on the Acu-Cell "Tin & Iodine" page - where additional information about tin is found - Tin is
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associated with Iodine the same way as calcium is associated with magnesium. Tin supports the adrenals,
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and iodine supports the thyroid, with both subsequently affecting cardiac output: Tin + adrenals control the left
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side, and iodine + thyroid control the right side. In addition to low Vitamin C and/or Vitamin B1, low tin is a
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common nutritional cause of low adrenals, which can lead to left-sided cardiac insufficiency. While fatigue or
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depression may be experienced with cardiac insufficiency of either side, breathing difficulties or asthma are
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more common with left-sided cardiac insufficiency, and swelling of hands and feet is more common with right-
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sided cardiac insufficiency, regardless of the cause.
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Comparing thousands of patient records since the mid 70's showed that better than 90% exhibited below-
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normal levels of tin when referenced to the status of all other essential trace minerals, making it the most
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deficient element compared to any other trace mineral measured. Symptoms associated with low levels of
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tin typically include depression and/or fatigue, and others.
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I had 285 individuals taking part in evaluating tin, some on a short-term basis (about 3 weeks), and others
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on a long-term basis (1 - 2+ years), resulting in some valuable feedback on various responses encountered,
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including side effects, although the poor absorption of stannous oxide was a limiting factor in being able to
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achieve optimal increases of cellular tin in all subjects.
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Of those who experienced changes after supplementing tin, negative reactions, e.g. stomach / digestive
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upsets, or skin reactions were at par, or less compared to the best tolerated trace minerals such as calcium,
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chromium, or magnesium. Positive health effects were numerous and included improvements with fatigue,
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and some forms of depression, with a general increase in energy, well-being and mood. There were also
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benefits with certain types of headaches, insomnia, asthma, or improvements with digestion, skin, or various
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aches and pains.
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