manganese sources

Use these recipes to make sure your diet includes plenty of manganese sources, including pineapples, nuts, whole grains, and shellfish.

Brown rice pudding is a tasty manganese source.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Does your daily diet provide enough manganese? It’s a good idea to double-check and ensure that it does. Though it may not be as well-known as other nutrients, manganese happens to be essential for many of the enzyme systems within our bodies. The essential trace mineral is vital for brain function and for healthy bone, skin, and cartilage formation. It helps break down fat and carbs for energy, and it also helps activate an antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD) which protects cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. And though true deficiencies are rare, lots of people consume less than the 2 to 5 milligrams of manganese that’s recommended for daily intake.

Manganese is part of the molecules known as mucopolysaccharides, which form collagen, the connective material that builds bone and cartilage. Within our bones, a mesh of collagen creates the framework on which calcium, magnesium, and other bone-hardening minerals can take hold. In combination with copper and zinc, manganese helps protect against bone loss; while a deficiency of any one of these nutrients is bad for bone health, studies show they work better at preventing the brittle bones of osteoporosis when ingested together. And osteoporosis sufferers do sometimes have low blood levels of manganese, suggesting a possible deficiency of this mineral.

In addition to keeping bones strong, manganese also helps our bodies utilize certain nutrients—biotin, thiamin, vitamin C, and choline. It also helps the body maintain normal blood sugar levels and synthesize cholesterol and fatty acids, and it aids in maintaining healthy nerves. Also, it’s thought that manganese may play a role in producing thyroxine, a thyroid hormone.