People use supplements containing boron citrate for various reasons. In fact, the diversity of its usage speaks to its versatility and importance. While some men are searching for supplements containing boron for its testosterone-boosting effect, some women want boric acid (a form of boron) to alleviate the pains of their menstrual cramps. This article talks about all we know about this helpful mineral, especially what it really is and why you should also be on the lookout for supplements containing it.

What is Boron Citrate?

Boron citrate, usually called “boron,” is a mineral present in food and the environment. Studies show that boron potentially affects the way your body handles minerals such as phosphorus and magnesium. It is popularly used by those looking to build strong bones, build muscles, and improve muscle coordination.

Why Use Boron Citrate?

Good news! Boron citrate has gained so much traction for its positive impact on your body’s production of testosterone. It is beneficial to both men and women as women usually use boron in the form of boric acid to treat conditions like vaginal yeast infection. Research shows that you could get up to 3 milligrams of boron daily just by drinking coffee, eating an apple, or consuming nuts. Oh, and don’t worry: boron is safe for consumption.

Boosts your level of testosterone

Based on different studies, we now know that boron helps to boost testosterone. A  2015 review found that taking a 6-mg dose of boron for only one week has some benefits, including increasing the metabolism of total testosterone in your body to free testosterone, which assists in several sex-related functions.

Boron citrate increases the free testosterone levels in your body by up to 25%. Free testosterone refers to the hormones in the body that freely circulate through your blood system. It is these hormones men target when boosting their testosterone levels. Your total testosterone, on the other hand, means all your male sex hormones. Some of these hormones are bound to molecules. When testosterones are bound to molecules, it becomes impossible for the body to use them freely, unlike the free testosterone in your blood, which all cells and tissues can freely use. Boron citrate also allows more free testosterone to bond with the proteins in your blood. 

Reduces estradiol in your body

In addition, boron helps to reduce the amount of estradiol, a type of estrogen, in your body.  If the estradiol levels in your body is too high, it could lead to a lower level of testosterone. As a man, you only need a small amount of estrogen. A study shows that men who took boron supplements experienced a reduction of about 50% in the estradiol levels in their bodies. It means boron increases testosterone on the one hand and reduces your estradiol levels on the other hand.

Another study confirmed that the participants who consumed 10mg of boron over a week experienced decreased serum estradiol levels by about 39%. However, another study indicates that taking boron with this frequency for an extended period could eventually cause some form of reversal/resistance. This can subsequently lead to an increase in serum estradiol levels. It is therefore advisable to take some weeks off when using boron citrate supplements. 

Helps with the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Boron citrate can help with your treatment if the cause of your erectile dysfunction includes low testosterone levels, or high levels of estradiol, or any other hormone-related issue. Here’s how:

●      Boron citrate increases the effectiveness of vitamin D, which could potentially help to boost healthy testosterone levels.

●      Boron citrate also helps to metabolize vitamins and minerals present in your diet, improving blood flow and contributing to healthy sexual function.

However, if the cause is not hormonal-related, the effect of boron citrate may not be as pronounced as we expect.

What other all-natural ingredients dose Craft Medical embrace? Check out our blog posts on them below.

• The Best Men’s Stress Relief Gifts
• How Long is a Cold Sore Contagious?
• Does Low Testosterone Cause Premature Ejaculation?
• The Best Diets for Men to Try in 2023
• Can a Lack of Sex Lead to Premature Death?

The Ideal Dosage of Boron Citrate

When it comes to using boron citrate to increase your testosterone levels, your perfect dose will vary. Everyone is different! However, some findings show that taking 6mg of boron citrate supplements once daily is recommended if you want to increase testosterone or treat erectile dysfunction. Commercial supplements usually contain boron in about 2mg to 6mg per serving. Nutritional practitioners advise you not to take more than 20mg of boron citrate per day by mouth.

Side Effects

As healthy as boron citrate can be in the proper dosage, too much of it could have some adverse side effects on you. The most common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, damage to blood vessels, indigestion, and headache.

Why We Think Boron Citrate is Supplement-Pack-Worthy!

The benefits of boron citrate, as you can see, are numerous. Thus, you are on the right path if you are on the lookout for a supplement containing this mineral in an adequate dosage for your sexual health needs. It’s for all of these reasons that Craft Medical chooses to include boron citrate as one of the main active ingredients within our brand-new supplement packs. These supplements work all over to ensure whole health and wellness — sexual or not. 

Whether you’re looking to increase energy levels, boost confidence in the bedroom, and find more success at the gym, our supplements packs with boron citrate — and so many other beneficial ingredients — are here for you. Just become a Craft Medical member today to start the process. When you do this, you’ll get to work on-one-on with medical specialists right from home. As the best men’s online health clinic around, Craft Medical is sure to shatter your expectations.

Patient Resources:

If you’re curious about our pricing, you can find all the information here: https://craftmedical.com/pricing/

Here’s how the Craft Medical process works: https://craftmedical.com/

Check out our latest blog post to learn more about our supplement ingredients: https://craftmedical.com/what-is-bioperine/

— Update: 09-02-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article Why You Should Supplement Boron to Increase Testosterone from the website crazybulk.com for the keyword benefits of boron for men.

January 19, 2021

Table of contents

• What is Boron?
• How does Boron boost testosterone levels?
• What are other Boron health benefits?
• Natural ways to increase Boron levels – foods
• What is recommended Boron supplementation and dosage?

What is Boron?

Boron is a crucial trace mineral that can help your body in a number of ways. From boosting free testosterone levels to blocking excess estrogen (and preventing man boobs); Boron can also be used to increase muscle and bone strength; improve mental clarity, focus, and concertation; develop muscle coordination, decrease inflammation and assist arthritis.

In other words, this handy mineral can optimize your health and well-being without a doubt. But let’s find out more about the boron – testosterone connection…

How does Boron boost testosterone levels?

Would you believe that Boron can increase free testosterone by up to 28.3%? It’s true!

During a one week study on a group of 18-29-year-olds – yes you heard us right, ONE week – they experienced (on average) a 28.3% increase in free testosterone when they were given 10mg of Boron a day. Similarly, in a separate study done over 4 weeks; when participants were given 10mg of Boron a day they experienced an overall testosterone increase of 11.4%.

Handy right? But how does it do it? How does Boron increase testosterone so you don’t have to endure the nasty side effects of testosterone deficiency e.g. weight gain, muscle loss, erectile dysfunction, etc.?

Well, it has got a few handy tricks up its sleeve:

Read more  8 Impressive Health Reasons to Eat More Zucchini — A Nutrient-Dense Food

It blocks SHBG

Boron has been found to decrease SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin). Now, this is fantastic news for your testosterone levels because SHBG’s job is to bind to sex hormones (testosterone), making them inactive and unable to produce their effects.

By reducing the amount of SHBG in your blood, this allows you to safely increase your testosterone levels, as you won’t have to worry about it all binding to SHBG. Instead, this testosterone will become ‘free testosterone’ which can be used to boost muscle growth, recovery, and development, as well as increase your strength.

To put it more simply, Boron gives your body the freedom to maximize on what testosterone does best.

It blocks estrogen

In the very same study where participants experienced 28.3% increases in free testosterone (after taking 10mg of Boron a day), researchers also saw a drop of 39% in estrogen.

Now, it is important to note here that this isn’t sustainable. For instance, in a separate 4-week study, researchers witnessed a rise in estrogen levels. This suggests that short term use of Boron can reduce estrogen – and prevent man boobs – whilst long term it can cause the opposite.

As a result, it is suggested that you cycle Boron 2 weeks on, and one week off, to prevent your estrogen levels from elevating.

It increases Vitamin D

During a recent study on 13 participants who’d been diagnosed with low Vitamin D levels; when they were given 6mg of Boron a day (from calcium fructoborate) for 60 days, they experienced – a 19.6% rise in Vitamin D levels, a 56% increase in DHEA and a 29.5% rise in free testosterone.

Add all of these elements together and what you have got is a mineral that is fully capable of raising your testosterone levels in a number of healthy and natural ways.

What are other Boron health benefits?

We’ve talked a lot about boron and testosterone, and the various ways it can raise your natural testosterone levels. But what else can Boron do? Is this mineral limited only to ‘Boron for testosterone’ or can it help your body in other ways?

The good news is – yes it can!

In a small study of 20 patients with osteoporosis, 50% of the group experienced improvements in symptoms after taking 6mg of Boron a day.

Admittedly, these figures haven’t been replicated elsewhere. However, scientists believe this is down to all of the participants suffering from actual symptoms of osteoporosis, and not normal health. Meaning Boron is only able to improve bone health if you’re already suffering from symptoms. If you’re not, then you won’t notice a visible difference.

Instead, Boron will be working behind the scenes to maintain your bone and joint health by activating osteoblasts (through gene expression) which are responsible for creating new materials used to rebuild bones.

But this is not all it can do…

Boron can also help you to experience:

• Healthier teeth – Boron can improve the strength of your teeth and prevent tooth decay/disease by reducing inflammation and improving bone/tissue repair. And if we’re honest, we can see the connection as teeth are basically an extension of your bones – as seen in a 2013 study which confirmed that Boron can help tooth building cells.
• Improved nutrient absorption (for instance, magnesium) – by optimizing nutrient absorption, this can improve homeostasis and your body’s internal functions/processes.
• Balanced hormones – Boron helps to create and maintain a good balance of sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone)
• Reduced inflammation (making it handy with osteoarthritis) – Boron is reputed to reduce inflammatory markers (cytokines) hs-CRP and TNF-a which have been linked to breast cancer, obesity, insulin resistance, lung cancer, heart disease, depression and many more.
• Decreased oxidative stress.
• Faster wound recovery/healing – Boron can speed up healing by activating fibroblasts in your skin and cell tissues. In a 1990 study, a 3% boric acid treatment on deep wounds was found to reduce healing times by two-thirds.
• Protection from Vitamin D deficiency – alongside helping to raise your Vitamin D levels (and improving the absorption of vital minerals/vitamins), Boron can also increase the biological half-life of this vitamin, prolonging the length of time it stays useful in your body.

Natural ways to increase Boron levels – foods

Sure, you could go the supplementation route and source a boron supplement for testosterone; however, there are other ways you can boost the presence of this mineral in your body – namely food.

True, it isn’t present in a lot of foods. But where it does exist – well, they are great sources for Boron.

Take for instance avocados. Just one cup of avocado pulp can give you 1.7mg of Boron. This means you could potentially munch on 5 avocados and get your full daily allowance.

Avocados aren’t your only option. You can also add the following foods to your diet:

• Walnuts
• Broccoli
• Almonds
• Raisins
• Beans
• Chickpeas
• Brazil nuts
• Bananas

All of these are rich in Boron, and will easily slot into your diet whilst training.

What is recommended Boron supplementation and dosage?

Generally anything under 20mgs of Boron a day is considered safe. However, we recommend sticking to the suggested Boron dosage of 3-10mg a day.

Now, if you’re training or are suffering from a testosterone deficiency, then you may want to up this dosage to the full 10mg of Boron a day, as all of the participants we’ve encountered in Boron studies have experienced greater success with 10mg a day.

However, Boron isn’t something you should take long term.

You need to cycle it carefully to prevent excess estrogen from accumulating. 4 weeks should be the longest you use it; however, for optimal testosterone results (with none of the side effects) we recommend using Boron for no more than 2 weeks at a time before taking a week’s break. This will enable you to enjoy all of its positive benefits with none of the downsides.

You should also consider all of the following before you jump on board:

1. Boron can cause toxicity when taken at high levels – unless you want to suffer from heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, NEVER take more than 20mg of Boron a day.
2. Boron is safer for short term use as its effectiveness will drop the longer you use it.

So should you use Boron supplementation?

Boron is a prime example of a natural mineral that can help your body to boost testosterone production in a number of ways.

What you have to ask yourself is – do you want to use Boron on its own, or should you use it as part of a complex formulation? It’s been found that complex formulations have got a higher success rate.

Think about it…

Boron may be natural and fully capable of helping you to manage your testosterone levels; however, on its own it is limited. For starters, you can only use it for 2 weeks at a time, and two, abuse it and it can trigger excess estrogen, toxicity, and other side effects.

Yet use it as part of a complex formulation, and these additional ingredients can supply your body with a full arsenal of ways to raise your testosterone levels and keep it safe.

Take CrazyBulk’s Testo-Max. Boron is just one of its many beneficial ingredients – magnesium, Fenugreek, zinc, Vitamins D, B6 and F1 (to name a few) – that have been specially chosen for their ability to increase lean muscle mass, cut fat, improve muscle recovery and maximize your endurance, stamina, and strength.

For more information on Testo-Max, click here.

Conclusion

So is the Boron/testosterone phenomenon real? We like to think so…

Sure, more studies could be done – the more we know about it, the better we can harness it – however, all the evidence so far seems to suggest that Boron for testosterone is a genuine possibility.

It is just a matter of how you decide to use it…
Can you easily get it from your diet? Yes. There are various foods which are rich in this mineral that fortunately taste good too. The key is making sure you eat the right amounts so you don’t end up eating too little or too much – something that is easier said than done if we’re honest.

Can you easily choose a Boron supplement for testosterone? Yes. Not only do supplements give you greater control over your dosage; you’ve also got the choice of taking simple Boron supplements or a more complex formulation.

Personally, complex formulations are the safer bet, as they are purposefully designed to optimize your testosterone levels whilst eliminating the risk of side effects. For instance, by keeping their Boron dosage to only 8mg per capsule in Testo-Max; this keeps your body safe whilst its other testosterone boosting ingredients pick up the slack.

In other words, complex Boron formulations can give you the best of all worlds.

So if you’re interested in adding Boron to your regime, we suggest keeping it natural and investing in a supplement that can give you the advantage of using multiple beneficial ingredients whose sole purpose is to maximize testosterone in the best ways possible.

Read more  Why You Should Supplement Boron to Increase Testosterone

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— Update: 10-02-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article 6 Benefits of Supplemental Boron + Signs of Deficiency from the website supplements.selfdecode.com for the keyword benefits of boron for men.

Some nutritionists call it an ultra-trace element: a nutrient that affects your body and health even in minuscule amounts. This post will overview findings of positive effects associated with the use of boron supplements or dietary boron intake, as well as possible side effects.

What Is Boron?

Boron is a metalloid element with atomic number 5. It is relatively rare and never appears on Earth in its pure form. Instead, boron is found in compounds like borax, boric acid, kernite, ulexite, and colemanite [1].

Many nutritionists do not consider it an (even though it is essential for growth and positively affects health) because it does not have a “defined biochemical function.” Recent research has found that boron is important for immune function, bone health, brain health, and hormone production, but there is no recommended intake [2, 3, 4].

Snapshot

Proponents:

• Important for bone, brain, and reproductive health
• May be useful for passing kidney stones
• Dietary intake may help prevent arthritis
• Easy to get enough from the diet
• Toxicity is rare

Skeptics:

• Possible toxicity at high doses
• May interfere with thyroid function
• Not enough research to identify a recommended intake

Boron Deficiency

Deficiencies of any important nutrient will cause health problems, and these problems can help us understand the nutrient’s normal function. Because there is no official recommended intake of boron, it is difficult to identify or assign symptoms to boron deficiency.

According to some researchers, boron deficiency may cause problems with bone development, growth, and healing. When people don’t have enough boron, their bone cells can’t lay down new bone tissue properly, which may lead to bone diseases like osteoporosis and rickets [4].

Many of the symptoms of boron deficiency line up with those of vitamin D deficiency. This overlap suggests that boron may interact with the skeletal system through vitamin D metabolism [4].

Genetics

Boron metabolism appears to vary between families: according to one analysis, relatives tend to have much more similar levels of boron in their blood than unrelated individuals. However, they also tend to live in similar environments with similar amounts of boron in their diets. Researchers have yet to identify the genes that manage boron metabolism [5, 6].

Metabolic Functions of Boron

Researchers are investigating the role of boron as an ultratrace element and how it contributes to human health. Evidence suggests that boron is important for the following functions, but these are not necessarily grounds to supplement with boron. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist to determine if your diet may be deficient and if supplements or diet changes may be appropriate for that reason.

1) Bone Health

Boron prevents the breakdown of vitamin D and increases the amount of available vitamin D in the body. Because vitamin D is essential for skeletal health, boron is also important to maintain strong bones [4].

One study found that the bones of people taking boron supplements were much more resistant to cutting than those of people not taking supplements. Boron supplements also increased the mineral density of female athletes’ bones [7, 8].

In postmenopausal women, boron supplements reduced calcium loss and reduced the rate of osteoporosis [9, 10, 4].

2) Wound Healing

Boron seems to be important for healing wounds. It may participate in the production of fibrous proteins like collagen and other compounds that help repair damage to skin, bones, and other tissues [4].

A gel containing boron is under investigation in the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. The gel killed microbes like yeast and fungi and significantly sped up the process of wound repair and tissue growth in a laboratory setting [11].

Boron also induces the growth of bacteria-eating white blood cells called phagocytes. These cells help fight infection and kill pathogens [12].

Animals fed diets high in boron experienced faster and better quality wound healing [3].

3) Sex Hormones

Testosterone and estrogen are considered the two most important sex hormones. They are often called the male and female sex hormones, respectively, although each has many functions in both men and women [13, 14].

Boron may affect the amount and effect of both testosterone and estrogen in the human body. It may also have a lesser effect on a third hormone called FSH.

Testosterone

Testosterone, the “male sex hormone,” has a seemingly endless list of functions. It determines the sex of a baby in the womb. It drives puberty in boys. It is a steroid that builds muscle. It coordinates sexual drive. It improves memory and cognition – and more [13].

Low testosterone is much more serious in men than in women, largely because men have higher levels of testosterone by default. Low testosterone can cause weakness, fatigue, depression, sexual dysfunction, decreased muscle mass, anemia, bone disease, facial and body hair loss, and insomnia [13].

After one week of daily boron supplements, eight healthy men had significantly increased testosterone in their blood. According to the authors, boron may deactivate a protein called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which was significantly lower in these men only six hours after their first boron supplement [4, 15].

Boron supplements also significantly increased testosterone in postmenopausal women. This effect was most dramatic when the women’s diets were low in magnesium. Testosterone is sometimes used to treat sexual dysfunction in women after menopause, but only if these women also have high enough levels of estrogen [16, 4, 17].

Estrogen

Estrogen, the “female sex hormone,” is vital for both men and women, though estrogen levels are much higher in women. Estrogen drives puberty for girls and determines sexual behavior in women. In men, estrogen is important for sexual development and healthy sperm [18, 19, 20].

Estrogen also maintains brain function, controls appetite, and supports the health of the thyroid gland, bones, and skin [21, 22, 23, 24].

Abnormally high or low estrogen levels can both cause health problems. High estrogen may increase the risk of cancer or stroke; low estrogen, especially in women, may cause memory problems, irregular menstrual cycles, bone disease, and depression [25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31].

After menopause, estrogen levels drastically fall. As a result, women are susceptible to many of the above risks during this period of their lives [32].

Boron may or may not directly interact with (and raise) estrogen levels. One study of postmenopausal women showed a significant increase of estrogen in the blood, while other studies have shown decreased estrogen after supplementing boron [16, 33].

Rather than directly acting on estrogen, boron may increase the body’s sensitivity to estrogen. It may bind to and enhance one type of estrogen receptor called estrogen receptor beta, or ER-β. ER-β is important for the health of the uterus, immune system, gut, lungs, and prostate, and it may help the body fight cancer [4, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38].

Follicle Stimulating Hormone

Follicle stimulating hormone, also called FSH, is important for sexual development and function because it triggers the growth of eggs and sperm [39, 40].

Both high and low levels of FSH can cause health problems. Diseases and conditions that feature low FSH include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), hypopituitarism, and hyperprolactinemia [41, 42, 43].

Limited evidence suggests that boron may increase FSH. However, this has only been studied in rats exposed to toxic levels of boron. The rats also lost the function of sexual organs and developed decreased fertility [44].

4) Brain Health

When boron is deficient in both animals and people, brain activity decreases. People with extremely low boron levels had a shorter attention span and weaker short-term memory. They also scored lower on tests measuring dexterity and coordination [4].

These changes in brain activity are similar to those caused by malnutrition and heavy metal poisoning [4].

Boron is undoubtedly important for a healthy brain. Some researchers have recommended boron supplements for those who may be deficient [3].

Possible Benefits of High Boron Intake

Some clinical studies suggest that high boron intake may have certain health benefits, but more research is required in order to determine exactly when supplementation is appropriate. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist to determine if your diet may be deficient and if supplements or diet changes may be appropriate for that reason.

5) Arthritis

Estimated rates of arthritis have been negatively correlated with dietary boron. In areas of the world where boron intake is 1 milligram or less per day, arthritis rates range from 20 – 70%. In areas of the world where boron intake is 3 – 10 milligrams, arthritis rates range from 0 – 10% [7].

Read more  6 Benefits of Supplemental Boron + Signs of Deficiency

People with arthritis also have lower concentrations of boron in their joints than people without arthritis [7].

In a study of twenty people with arthritis, half reported improved symptoms on a 6 mg/day boron supplement. Only 10% of people receiving placebo reported improvements [7].

6) Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are crystallized solids that form in the kidney. If they grow too large, they can cause severe pain, vomiting, and bloody urine. In combination with antioxidants, hydration, and diet, boron may help flush kidney stones [45, 46, 47].

10mg/day increased the rate of kidney stone excretion in a small human trial. Those who took the boron supplements also felt less pain when the stone passed [48].

Boron in Medicine

Boron has also proven useful for certain medical applications and avenues of research. Note that the applications in this section have absolutely no bearing on boron as a supplement or even a nutrient. Do not attempt to apply any of these therapies without the supervision of a doctor.

Boric Acid for Yeast Infections

Yeast is often part of the vaginal flora; that is, its presence in the vagina is normal and won’t cause problems most of the time. Sometimes, however, the yeast grows too much and too fast. This results in a yeast infection also called vaginal thrush [49].

Boric acid is sometimes used for vaginal yeast infections. It is placed directly into the vagina as a suppository, where it kills the yeast and prevents further infections [50, 51, 52].

However, boric acid has largely been replaced by safer and more effective drugs and remedies for vaginal yeast infections. Talk to your doctor about alternatives before attempting to use a boric acid suppository.

What’s more, boric acid is poisonous and should never be swallowed. Some people who use boric acid suppositories to treat yeast infection may experience pain, swelling, or discharge [53, 52].

Importantly, regular boron supplements don’t contain boric acid. As a result, they won’t have any effect on vaginal yeast infections.

Cancer Research & Advances in Treatment

Prevention

Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein found in the human prostate. In the early stages of prostate cancer, PSA increases the amount of the tumor-promoting insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1, in the prostate. Boron supplements may decrease the amount of PSA in the prostate, suggesting a possible role in prostate cancer prevention [54, 4].

Additional research is required to determine the role of boron in tumor development.

Targeted Boron Therapies

Some targeted, cutting-edge boron therapies are used to treat cancer. However, these effects don’t apply to dietary boron supplements.

Chemotherapy

Bortezomib is a chemotherapy drug that contains boron in the form of boronic acid. It is used to treat rare white blood cell cancers like multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma [55, 56].

This drug disrupts important mechanisms inside cells and sensitizes them to apoptosis, or cell suicide. It acts on cellular proteins which are far more active in cancer cells than in normal, healthy cells; as a result, cancer cells die at much higher rates than healthy cells [55].

Because bortezomib sensitizes cancer cells to apoptosis, it can also improve the effectiveness of other chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin [57].

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Boron neutron capture therapy, or BNCT, is a 21st-century cancer treatment that destroys cancer cells without killing surrounding healthy cells. After surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, doctors administer boron compounds that target the cancer cells. Then, the patient receives a radiation treatment that reacts with the boron and destroys the tumor [58, 59, 60, 61].

This type of treatment can even be used against cancers that can’t be operated, such as brain tumors [61].

Cell Research on Heavy Metal Poisoning

Many heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead are highly toxic and can cause serious damage to a person’s DNA after exposure. Some boron compounds, such as borax and boric acid, prevented DNA damage from heavy metals in cell-based studies [4, 62].

Importantly, however, dietary boron supplements have not produced these effects.

As mentioned, boric acid is poisonous. Borax can also have toxic effects. Neither should be ingested – they are only meant to be used as antiseptic solutions [63].

Sources & Supplement Dosage

Boron intake from diet changes depending on where you live. In Europe, daily boron can be as low as 0.8 mg/day. In the United States, it can be as high as 7 mg/day [4].

The recommended upper limit per day for adults is 20 mg [4].

Most boron supplements contain 3mg/capsule and recommend taking one capsule daily.

Boron Foods

Many foods contain enough boron to make a difference in your health. Raisins, hazelnuts, and dried apricots have some of the highest density of boron by weight. Foods high in boron include [64, 4]:

• Red grapes, raisins, and red wine
• Peanuts and other nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
• Many fruits, including apples, pears, oranges, apricots, and currants
• Beans, peas, and lentils
• Some vegetables, including broccoli

Many more fruits and vegetables contain smaller quantities of boron. If you eat a significant amount of these foods, you probably don’t need a boron supplement [64].

Supplement Dosage

Oral Supplement

Commercially available boron supplements usually come in capsules or as liquid drops, delivering between 2 and 6 mg of boron per serving, although 3 mg is the most common amount. Remember that, to stay on the safe side, adults should never take more than 20 mg of boron per day by mouth [4].

Boric Acid Suppository

To treat a vaginal yeast infection, women can use a 600 mg boric acid suppository once per day. We recommend talking to your doctor before using boric acid to treat a yeast infection [65, 66].

Safety & Side Effects

Supplemental boron is likely safe in suggested amounts, even for sensitive groups such as children and pregnant women.

In dietary supplements, boron is usually derived from natural sources. Some forms include calcium fructoborate, calcium borogluconate, boron citrate, or boron complexes. It’s often combined into salts with calcium to achieve synergistic bone health benefits.

Boric acid is poisonous if swallowed and should never be taken by mouth. If you accidentally consume boric acid, call poison control and seek medical attention immediately [53].

In adults, boron toxicity is likely rare because of how easy it is expelled by the body [67, 68].

Boron Toxicity

Most examples of boron toxicity have involved a boron compound such as boric acid or borax. These are not found in dietary boron supplements.

Though boric acid poisoning is rare now, it was once a serious risk to infants. As recently as the 1980s, babies ingested boric acid or borax in formula or to soothe the pain of teething. Some of these babies suffered seizures and recovered; others died. Boric acid is much more dangerous to children than to adults [53, 69].

In rat studies, extremely high doses of boron or boric acid caused hormonal imbalances and loss of fertility in males. Make sure not to exceed the daily upper limit of 20 mg [70, 71].

Thyroid Interaction

There is some evidence that boron may interfere with the thyroid gland.

Boron may compete with iodine in the thyroid, reducing the function of the gland. When the thyroid gland’s function is reduced, it grows larger to compensate. Over time, this growth forms a goiter. Boron, in rare cases and in large amounts, may contribute to goiter [72].

Borax in Food

Borax has been used as a preservative and food additive in food for over a century. Despite having been banned in many countries, borax is still used in others to improve the texture and appearance of caviar, noodles, and other gummy or gooey foods. Borax is toxic to the kidneys, brain, and reproductive system; it may also damage DNA and cause cancer [73, 74].

Avoid any and all foods that may contain borax. Watch for the initials E285: that’s the code for borax as a food additive [74].

Vitamin D

Boron prevents the breakdown of vitamin D. In this way, it increases the amount of time that each molecule of vitamin D spends in the blood and, as a consequence, the total amount of vitamin D available to your body [4].

Most people have to worry more about vitamin D deficiency than vitamin D toxicity, but too much of a good thing can still be dangerous.

Supplementing with too much vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, bone pain, irregular heartbeat, and other symptoms. Always do your research before supplementing; avoid taking too much vitamin D and boron, especially together [75, 76].

To find the ideal balance of vitamin D and boron, talk to your doctor or nutritionist.