Silicon Rich Foods

Silicon is an essential mineral, a structural component of bone and connective tissue.

The trace element plays an important role in maintaining the flexibility of the musculoskeletal system, increases the elasticity of blood vessels, improves the functional state of the skin, hair, nails, normalizes lipid metabolism, and accelerates the transmission of nerve impulses.

According to the content of the compound in the human body, silicon occupies the second position after oxygen, accounting for 0,01% of body weight.

The mineral accumulates mainly in the thyroid gland (310 milligrams), adrenal glands (250 milligrams), pituitary gland (81,4 milligrams), lungs (40-80 milligrams), muscles (2-8 milligrams), blood and lymph (0,1-0,9 .XNUMX milligrams).

Biological role

The main function of silicon is to maintain the flexibility of the connective and epithelial tissues of the joints, vessels, tendons, cartilage and mucous membranes.

Useful properties of the mineral:

• increases bone mineralization;
• participates in the assimilation of essential nutrients, in particular, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron;
• stimulates phagocytosis, improving the body’s resistance to bacterial and viral infections;
• prevents the penetration of lipids into the blood plasma, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis;
• prevents degeneration of intervertebral discs;
• participates in the processes of repolarization of cells by accelerating the transmission of nerve impulses to the brain;
• stimulates the sensitivity of beta receptors located on the surface of lipid cells, which potentiates the removal of fat from them;
• interacts with heavy metals, forming with them stable compounds that are easily removed from the body;
• potentiates the construction of the fibers of the extracellular matrix, as a result of which the functional state of the skin, nails and hair is improved;
• enhances the antioxidant properties of vitamins C, E, A, increasing the antitumor activity of the body;
• stimulates the growth and strengthening of bone tissue;
• has a vasodilating effect, reduces blood pressure;
• normalizes metabolic processes;
• participates in the formation of elastin, collagen, mucopolysaccharides;
• potentiates the synthesis of hormones, amino acids and enzymes (together with protein structures).

In addition, silicon maintains the right balance of calcium and phosphorus in the body, preventing the development of osteoporosis.

Daily rate

The physiological need for silicon is 20-30 milligrams per day.

The maximum safe dose of the mineral, according to research by the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Union (Scientific Commitee on Food), is 100 milligrams per day for an adult.

An additional intake of “flint” food is indicated for:

• pregnancy and lactation;
• osteoporosis;
• fractures, dislocations;
• neurological disorders;
• the use of medicines containing aluminum salts;
• acute infectious diseases;
• malignant neoplasms;
• tuberculosis;
• diabetes mellitus;
• cardiovascular pathologies;
• abuse of sugar, confectionery;
• unhealthy condition of the skin, hair, nails.

Interestingly, through the inhaled air a person receives 15-20 milligrams of silicon per day and only 3-5 milligrams with food. Moreover, in regions with “bad” ecology, the concentration of a substance in the atmosphere decreases by 2–3 times.

Deficiency and Overdose

Considering the prevalence of silicon in nature, its deficiency in the body is a rare phenomenon that develops if the amount of the consumed element is less than 5 milligrams per day.

Causes of failure:

• violation of the regulation of the exchange of silicon;
• excessive supply of aluminum from food, in particular, due to the prolonged storage of food in an aluminum dish;
• chronic stress, nerve overload;
• insufficient consumption of fiber and clean water;
• intensive growth of the body (children age);
• unbalanced diet;
• physical overload.

In addition, silicon deficiency occurs due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, fungi or parasites in the body.

Signs of flint failure:

• increased bone fragility;
• deterioration of the teeth (loss of fillings, the appearance of sensitivity to cold or hot food);
• deterioration of the skin and hair (reduction of turgor of the dermis, excessive dryness of the face and body, loss or thinning of individual strands);
• low tissue regeneration after a cut or injury;
• the fragility of blood vessels, and as a result, the appearance of “stars”, bruises or bruises under the skin at the slightest injury;
• gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea or constipation);
• decreased appetite;
• brittle nails;
• skin rash on the background of dysbacteriosis;
• weather dependency;
• deterioration of mental state (irritability, apathy, depression, neurosis).

Prolonged silicon deficiency leads to a decrease in immunity and the development of protracted purulent diseases (sinusitis, abscess, tonsillitis, otitis media), while fistula and wounds do not heal for a long time. If you do not normalize the level of the mineral in the body, there is a further decrease in the concentration of the element, which is a precursor of the appearance of severe pathologies: diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, nodular goiter, dysbacteriosis, osteoporosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, kidney stone and bladder.

To eliminate silicon deficiency, it is recommended to saturate the daily menu with products rich in a useful element, if necessary, take a vitamin-mineral complex, which contains it, for a month.

When compiling a daily menu, remember that the systematic intake of more than 500 milligrams of a substance per day for 3-6 months threatens to develop overdose symptoms. This problem, in 90% of cases, occurs in regions with an excessive concentration of the mineral in the air. The risk group includes people who have disrupted the regulation of silicon metabolism in the body, and workers in the mining industry who come into contact with glass, aerosols, cement, asbestos, and quartz. The systematic inhalation of dust with a high content of highly concentrated silicon dioxide leads to respiratory diseases, most often to silicosis.

Symptoms of excess silicium in the body:

• decrease in working capacity;
• dyspnea;
• dry cough;
• irritability.

If excess silicon is not stopped in the early stages, there is a predisposition to tuberculosis, bronchitis, fibrosis or emphysema.

Other effects of mineral overdose in the body:

• stone formation in the kidneys and bladder;
• violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism;
• malignant neoplasms of the pleura or in the abdominal cavity.

If symptoms of an overdose are found, all foods, food additives and medications that include the trace element are excluded from the human diet, then symptomatic treatment is performed.

Natural sources

Silicon is supplied to the human body together with food, air and water. Considering that only 3-5 milligrams of the element comes with food, and 9-10 milligrams (with urine) is excreted, in order to avoid the development of a deficiency, it is important to correctly compensate for this imbalance.

Silicon is found in foods of plant and animal origin. However, the best source of this compound is food containing fiber.

Decoctions of horsetail, juniper, highlander, nettle, coltsfoot, lungwort, tansy, wormwood, dog lover, chamomile, thyme, dandelion leaves replenish well the reserves of silicon in the body. In addition, the mineral is found in blue food clay, which consists of a third of a biologically active trace element.

Remember, silicon is easily destroyed during the cooking process. Therefore, the mineral is practically not contained in canned, refined and polished food: during the industrial processing of cereals, 40-50% of the element is lost, after peeling vegetables and fruits from the peel up to 90%. In addition, the beneficial properties of the compound are reduced by a factor of three when flint foods and fast carbohydrates (white sugar, confectionery, sweet carbonated drinks) are consumed together. The latter, in turn, prevent the full absorption of the trace element.

Conclusion

Silicon is the most important structure-forming factor of connective and epithelial tissues (collagen, elastin, mucopolysaccharides), which maintains the flexibility of the musculoskeletal system.

In the presence of this element, the formation of protein structures, enzymes, hormones and amino acids.

Due to the prevalence of the element in nature, silicon deficiency is a rare phenomenon, occurring mainly in the pathologies of the digestive tract, malnutrition, helminthic invasions, poor ecology and non-compliance with the drinking regime. In the case of a prolonged shortage of the element, the elasticity of the walls of the blood vessels decreases, which leads to a decrease in the contractility of the capillaries and disruption of the lipid metabolism in the body.

To prevent this condition, the daily diet is enriched with foods containing silicon. These include: unpolished grits (rice, oats), seeds, nuts, legumes, vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries. In addition, it is possible to saturate the body with microelement using drinking water infused with silicon.

However, remember, too much is not always good! An overdose of silicon in the body disrupts phosphorus-calcium metabolism, promotes the development of urolithiasis and lung damage.

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