Manganese is an essential mineral that acts as an antioxidant, facilitates metabolic processes and works as a compound in the formation of cartilage and collagen. You can easily obtain manganese from your diet, but an estimated 37 percent of Americans do not get adequate daily intake of this mineral, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Manganese deficiency can lead to a host of health complications. However, dementia is a risk from toxicity rather than deficiency of this nutrient.
Manganese Intake and Limits
The daily adequate intake of manganese for adult females is 1.8 mg and for males it is 2.3 mg. You can get your daily intake met by eating a well-balanced diet that includes various fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts. Pineapple, spinach and sweet potatoes yield 0.44 to 0.77 mg per serving and wheat bread, bran cereal, brown rice or oatmeal can provide 0.60 to 0.99 mg per serving size. The tolerable upper intake level for non-food manganese ingestion from supplements, industrial pollutants or contaminated water is 11 mg per day.
Manganese Deficiency
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, manganese deficiency is not common. A more prominent concern stems from overexposure of this mineral. However, in the event of deficiency, you may experience problems with bone mass related to osteoporosis, impaired blood glucose regulation similar to diabetes, seizures or diseases related to the cardiovascular system. General weakness, skin rash, nausea or vomiting also accompany deficiency. Factors contributing to deficiency include poor dietary intake, malabsorption problems and chronic liver or gallbladder disorders.
Manganese Link to Dementia
Dementia refers to a set of symptoms that impairs your mental functions such as memory, thought and reasoning. Dementia related to disease or injury like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or stroke, which permanently damages the brain, is irreversible. However, some dementia causes are reversible, such as those induced by nutrient deficiencies or toxic exposure to drugs, alcohol and poisons. Treatment for dementia involves slowing its progression by addressing the underlying cause and in some cases removal of toxins or replacing lost nutrients. Clinical evidence does not substantiate that manganese deficiency increases the risk of dementia, but manganese toxicity is linked to neurological complications.
Manganese Toxicity and Dementia
Industrial workers have a high risk of inhaling manganese as a job hazard. Overexposure from inhalation can cause a gradual neurological decline with symptoms appearing similar to Parkinson's disease. A 2007 study published in the "Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology" indicated that the neurotoxicity of manganese in industrial workers follows similar pathology to Parkinson's disease with the potential for abnormal protein clumping, or Lewy bodies, in the brain, which increases the risk of dementia symptoms. However, the study noted that manganese-induced toxicity distinctly differs from the pathology of non-manganese associated with Parkinson's onset.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute: Manganese
- Health Supplements Nutritional Guide: Manganese
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Manganese
- MayoClinic.com: Dementia; April 2011
- Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients; The Clinical Effects of Manganese; E. Blaurock-Busch; 2002
- "Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology"; The Neuropathology of Manganese-Induced Parkinsonism; D.P. Perl, et al.; August 2007
