Manganese is a trace mineral essential for antioxidant defense (MnSOD), bone formation, and glucose metabolism. Our research highlights a critical paradox: deficiency is extremely rare (manganese is abundant in plant foods), but EXCESS is neurotoxic — causing a Parkinson's-like condition called manganism. Welders and miners get it from occupational inhalation. The UL is 11mg/day, but neurotoxicity symptoms have been reported at chronic intakes of 4-15mg/day from supplements in susceptible individuals. This is a mineral where supplementation is rarely justified and potentially dangerous.
Manganese is a cofactor for: (1) MnSOD — the superoxide dismutase that protects mitochondria from oxidative damage; (2) arginase — needed for urea cycle (ammonia detoxification); (3) pyruvate carboxylase — gluconeogenesis; and (4) glycosyltransferases — proteoglycan synthesis for bone and cartilage. The neurotoxicity of excess manganese occurs because it accumulates preferentially in the globus pallidus (basal ganglia), where it disrupts dopaminergic neurotransmission — the same pathway affected in Parkinson's disease.
Reviewed by the Scan Dose Research Team and Clinical Advisory Board | Last updated:
Not medical advice. Based on published clinical research and systematic reviews.