In addition to very low molybdenum many times accompanying various forms of spinal degeneration, ongoing
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dizziness is another factor with craniocervical disturbances, or those of the cranial ganglia, and it isn't always
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clear which came first - the symptoms, or the low molybdenum - unless a known injury triggered the problem.
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Nevertheless, if matched to the problem, I have seen molybdenum relieve the dizziness within a few hours
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following its supplementation.
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To a much lesser extent the above also applies to vanadium -- at least in theory. In practice, vanadium rarely
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becomes as deficient as molybdenum. In fact, it is very uncommon that vanadium would require supplemen-
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tation at all (ankylosing spondylitis being a rare exception), because of the chemical interactions it is part of,
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and where molybdenum and chromium levels would both have to be much higher than vanadium.
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Molybdenum is a component of xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and sulfite oxidase, which are impor-
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tant enzyme systems. Xanthine oxidase is involved in converting nucleic acid to uric acid, a waste product of
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protein / purine metabolism, and although elevated uric acid can cause gouty attacks in prone individuals,
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normal uric acid levels are actually beneficial, as they have antioxidative properties and protect cells from free
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radicals.
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I have not seen moderate molybdenum supplementation cause gout in patients who exhibit low molybdenum
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levels even when they were prone for suffering from gout attacks, however very high molybdenum intake is
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capable of triggering inflammatory joint disease.
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Aldehyde oxidase helps in the oxidation of carbohydrates, and sulfite oxidase helps to detoxify sulfites,
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which used to be common food preservatives (salad bars), and which some sensitive individuals have a
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severe allergic reaction to. While sulfur and molybdenum compete for uptake in plants, supplementing
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either one in humans helps uptake of the other by inhibiting copper, which is an antagonist to sulfur and
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molybdenum, so for practical purposes (and confirmed in thousands of clinical applications), they work as
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synergists with one another. There is an identical relationship between vanadium and selenium against
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chromium, resulting in the same synergism.
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In animal studies, Vanadium has been found to function similarly to insulin by helping to maintain blood
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glucose levels the same as in the control group, despite lower serum insulin, while at the same time making
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cell membrane insulin receptors more sensitive to insulin. In human studies, daily insulin requirements in
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Type I diabetics decreased by as much as 14%, and in Type II diabetics, there was an increase in insulin
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sensitivity observed following vanadium treatments using either vanadyl sulphate or sodium metavanadate.
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So why don't doctors tell their patients to supplement vanadium in order to reduce insulin requirements?
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Perhaps some studies just don't compare to clinical applications in the real world. My own patient feedback
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has not been favorable to vanadium supplementation so far for diabetes. Instead of reducing insulin require-
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ments, blood sugar had gone up following vanadium supplementation!
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Both, vanadium and molybdenum have anticarcinogenic (anti-cancer) properties in regard to breast cancer
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(V+Mo) in animal models, and esophageal cancer and stomach cancer (Mo) in humans, which may be due to
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the copper-inhibiting effect of molybdenum, or possibly by Mo protecting the body from nitrosamine formation
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as a result of consuming foods (meats or vegetables) high in nitrates or nitrites.
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According to some sources, supplementing vanadium has the potential to improve athletic performance
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because of the anabolic effect of vanadyl sulfate being similar to insulin (supposedly resulting in higher liver
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and muscle glycogen stores), however the validity of that claim is not universally accepted. For individuals
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suffering from bipolar / manic-depressive illness, there is evidence of possible adverse effects from
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increased vanadium intake due to its causative or aggravating impact on reduced sodium pump activity.
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Short of minimal amounts present in some multi-mineral formulations, the effects of supplementing higher
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amounts of vanadium (as vanadyl sulphate) on a regular basis - when not indicated - can have detrimental
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side effects that may include anything from various aches and pains and flu-like symptoms (partly as a result
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of inhibiting chromium), to eventually vanadium causing all kinds of bizarre, chemical imbalances. Supple-
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menting higher amounts of vanadium can also cause a very noticeable green discoloration of the tongue. ¤
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