HWN Suggests

Why molybdenum matters

So – molybdenum! Discovered and named in 1778 by a Swede. Hardly a pronounceable nutrient.(Though I go by “Mol-LIB-den-um” and it seems to work.)

Why on earth should we care about molybdenum? It’s not even listed in the USA Department of Agriculture Food Composition Database. The NHS advice – very brief – assures that deficiency is near impossible. Well: molybdenum is an essential trace element for the body. It’s substance we have to consume, albeit in tiny quantities, or we’ll suffer.

read full article

Featured

 Molybdenum in Food: A Complete Guide

Molybdenum was discovered in 1778 by a Swedish chemist named Karl Wilhelm Scheele. While the mineral has been known for many years throughout history, he finally differentiated it from other elements—like lead. Because of its similarities to lead, it was named for the Greek word molbydos-, which means ‘lead-like’.

Articles of Interest

Inside the Global Relay Race to Deliver Moly-99

The isotope is a cancer-detecting necessity, but it decays within days and isn’t made in North America. A company is rushing to build a plant in Wisconsin to change that.

Molybdenum: The Little-Known Element Your Body Depends On

Even though molybdenum is in all of our bodies right now, it’s not a super well-known substance. Yet it’s actually very important to human health.

We may all be Martians: New research supports theory that life started on Mars

"It's only when molybdenum becomes highly oxidized that it is able to influence how early life formed," explains Professor Benner, from The Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology in the USA. "This form of molybdenum couldn't have been available on Earth at the time life first began, because three billion years ago the surface of the Earth had very little oxygen, but Mars did. It's yet another piece of evidence which makes it more likely life came to Earth on a Martian meteorite, rather than starting on this planet."

Resources

Examine

Molybdenum is an essential mineral. It is vital for the function of several enzymes, but is easily obtained through the diet. Molybdenum deficiencies are virtually unheard of, and there are no benefits to high doses, making supplementation unnecessary.

Linus Pauling Institute

The molybdenum atom is part of the molybdenum cofactor in the active site of four enzymes in humans: sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component.

Molybdenum

One thing that should be clear about molybdenum is that it’s essential for your health. Let’s see why.

NIH

Molybdenum is an essential trace element that is naturally present in many foods and is also available as a dietary supplement. Molybdenum is a structural constituent of molybdopterin, a cofactor synthesized by the body and required for the function of four enzymes: sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component (mARC).

The Nutrition Source

Molybdenum is an essential trace mineral that occurs naturally in foods and is available in supplements. It is a component of four different enzymes in the body that help break down proteins, alcohol, drugs, and toxins. Molybdenum-containing enzymes also break down purines and sulfites.