MikronährstoffCoach®: Mikronährstoffe / mikronaehrstoffcoach.com

Sources and physiological effects

Dietary sources
Molybdenum is a trace element contained in both vegetable and animal foods. The molybdenum content of foodstuffs is determined by the soil conditions in which the crop plants grow or from which the farm animal eats. A humus depletion of the soil, a low pH value or the reduction of soil pH (acid rain) worsens the bioavailability of molybdenum for the plant. Good sources of molybdenum include pulses, wheat germ, cereals, dairy products, eggs and offal. Intensive agriculture or industrial processing can be accompanied by a reduced molybdenum content in foodstuffs.
Physiological effects
Purine metabolism	Cofactor of xanthine oxidase in the degradation of purines in uric acid
Metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids	As a cofactor of sulfite oxidase involved in the degradation of sulfur-containing amino acids (such as taurine)
Aldehyde metabolism	Involved as cofactor of aldehyde oxidase to support alcohol breakdown in the liver Involved as cofactor of aldehyde oxidase for the degradation of catecholamines

EFSA Health Claims

Health Claims		EFSA Opinion
Molybdenum	Contributes to a normal metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids

Recommended intake

D-A-CH Recommended nutrient intake
	Age	Molybdenum (µg/d)
Infants (months)
	0-4	7
	4-12	20 - 40
Children (years)
	1-4	25 - 50
	4-7	30 - 75
	7-10	40 - 80
	10-13	50 - 100
	13-15	50 - 100
Teenagers/adults (years)		Women	Men
	15-19	50 - 100	50 - 100
	19-25	50 - 100	50 - 100
	25-51	50 - 100	50 - 100
	51-65	50 - 100	50 - 100
	> 65	50 - 100	50 - 100
Pregnant women	N/A
Breast-feeding women	N/A
Increased need	Malabsorption due to chronic inflammatory intestinal diseases or after intestinal resection, impaired function of xanthine oxidase

Recommended intake according to food labelling regulations
(=100 % TB marking on label)		50 µg/d
Nutrient safety
UL	Long-term daily intake at which no negative health effects are to be expected	< 2000 µg/d (according to NIH)
NOAEL	Maximum intake, with no observed adverese effect	350 µg/d
Safety	EFSA has investigated the safety of molybdenum.

Detailed information

Molybdenum – important cofactor in enzyme metabolism

The human body contains about 10 mg molybdenum. This trace element is essential for almost all living organisms, as it serves as a cofactor for a number of metalloenzymes such as sulfite oxidase, aldehyde oxidase or xanthine oxidase (1) (2). The hepatic, iron- and riboflavin-containing xanthine oxidoreductase catalyses the oxidation of hypoxanthine via xanthine in the purine metabolism and the further degradation of xanthine to uric acid (3). Besides its pathophysiological importance in gout diseases, uric acid or anion urate is a good scavenger of reactive oxygen species, its antioxidative effect is comparable to that of vitamin C. Molybdenum also regulates the degradation of mitochondrial sulfur-containing amino acids and the metabolization of sulfite into sulfate (4) via the enzyme sulfite oxidase. As a cofactor of aldehyde oxidase, it is also involved in alcohol degradation and the metabolism of pharmaceuticals (3).

Molybdenum deficiency due to illness

While nutritional molybdenum deficiencies are not documented, intestinal resection, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases or hepatobiliary diseases can lead to a molybdenum deficiency (4). An excessive supply of copper, sulfate or tungsten can also impair molybdenum absorption and subsequently lead to a molybdenum deficit. This can manifest itself in nausea, vomiting, night blindness, visual disturbances or tachycardia. A deficient molybdenum supply can also increase the risk of xanthine stones and nasopharyngeomas. (1).

Deficiency symptoms

Impact on	Symptoms
General health	Nausea, headache, tachycardia, night blindness
Metabolism	Reduced degradation of toxic sulfur-containing amino acids Increased taurine excretion Increased xanthine excretion and thus increased risk of xanthine stone formation
Nervous system	Epileptic seizures Memory loss

Indications

Effect	Indication	Dosage
Physiological effects at a low intake	In the case of a lowered molybdenum status determined by laboratory diagnostics	200 µg/d
	For the targeted treatment of conditions caused by molybdenum deficiency such as xanthinuria, increased sulfite sensitivity, amino acid intolerance or purine degradation disorders	200 µg/d
	To prevent a molybdenum deficiency with high copper supplementation	200 µg/d

Administration

General mode of administration
When	Molybdenum should be taken between meals (60 minutes before) as other micronutrients and food components can interfere with absorption.
Side effects
No relevatn side effects are known to date.
Contraindications
No relevant contraindications are known to date.

Interactions

Drug interactions
None	No relevant interactions are known to date.
Nutrient interactions
Trace elements	Copper and sulfate can impair molybdenum absorption.

Description and related substances

Description

Trace mineral
Formula: Mo
Ions: Mo4+, Mo5+, Mo6+

Related substances

Hexavalent Mo substances are permitted:

Ammonium molybdate (molybdenum VI)
Potassium molybdate (molybdenum VI)
Sodium molybdate (molybdenum VI)

Only molybdenum (VI) compounds are used

References

1) Gröber, U. Mikronährstoffe. Prävention Therapie, Metabolic Tuning. 2011.
2) Hahn, A. et al. Ernährung. Physiologische Grundlagen, Prävention, Therapie. 2006.
3) Biesalski, H. K. et al. 2010. Ernährungsmedizin. Nach dem neuen Curriculum Ernährungsmedizin der Bundesärztekammer. Thieme Verlag.
4) Gröber, U. Orthomolekulare Medizin. Ein Leitfaden für Apotheker und Ärzte. 2008.

References Interactions
Stargrove, M. B. et al. Herb, nutrient and drug interactions: Clinical implications and therapeutic strategies, 1. Auflage. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008.
Gröber, U. Mikronährstoffe: Metabolic Tuning –Prävention –Therapie, 3. Auflage. Stuttgart: WVG Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart, 2011.
Gröber, U. Arzneimittel und Mikronährstoffe: Medikationsorientierte Supplementierung, 3. aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Stuttgart: WVG Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart, 2014.