Silicon: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Other name(s)
Orthosilicic acid, silica
Scientific name(s)
Silicon, Si
Family or group:
Minerals and trace elements
Indications
Scoring methodology
EFSA approval.
Osteoporosis ✪✪✪✪✪
Men and premenopausal women who have a higher dietary intake of silicon appear to have higher bone mineral density, which could reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Another clinical study suggests that a higher silicon intake increases bone mineral density in postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This effect was not observed in women who are not on HRT. Bone loss in postmenopausal women is mainly due to bone resorption. Silicon appears to affect only bone formation.
Posologie
Oral administration
40 mg
Dietary silicon intake and absorption.
Dietary silicon intake is associated with bone mineral density in premenopausal women and postmenopausal women taking HRT
Dietary silicon intake is positively associated with bone mineral density in men and premenopausal women of the Framingham Offspring cohort
Wrinkles ✪✪✪✪✪
A small preliminary clinical study conducted on healthy volunteers aged 40 to 60 years shows that taking a specific product containing 600 mg of organic silicon in hydrolyzed marine collagen once daily for 90 days improves the firmness, hydration, and texture of the skin, but not wrinkles, radiance, or softness, compared with placebo.
Posologie
Oral administration
600 mg
Synergies
Joint pain ✪✪✪✪✪
Silicon is suggested to relieve rheumatism (osteoarthritis). In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind study, choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid showed symptomatic improvement in men, but not in women, after 12 weeks of supplementation, which was associated with a small but significant reduction in biomarkers related to cartilage degradation.
Posologie
Oral administration
5 mg
Hair beauty ✪✪✪✪✪
Silicon helps maintain the health of hair, nails and/or skin. Moreover, arterial walls contain large quantities of collagen and elastin synthesized by fibroblasts. Silicon is involved in the synthesis and arrangement of elastin, collagen and mucopolysaccharide fibers and is therefore essential.
Posologie
Orally
10 mg
Skin health ✪✪✪✪✪
Silicon helps maintain the health of hair, nails and/or skin. Silicon is concentrated in the skin and even more so in the nails, body hair and scalp hair. It contributes to the strength and high resistance of keratinized tissues.
Posologie
Orally
10 mg
Synergies
Properties
Bone density
In animal research, a silicon deficiency caused major structural abnormalities of the skull and long bones, strongly suggesting that silicon is necessary for normal bone development. Human research has shown that increased dietary silicon intake is associated with increased bone mineral density in men and premenopausal women. Other human studies have demonstrated an association between silicon intake and trabecular bone volume and bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporotic subjects, and between markers of bone formation and BMD in women with low bone mass. Orthosilicic acid appears to stimulate osteoblasts in humans. In vitro research suggests that the mechanism of action of silicon includes stimulation of collagen synthesis and other molecules associated with production of the extracellular matrix.
Usages associés
Dermatological effect
Silicon enables the formation of collagen, elastin and structural glycoproteins. It induces or regulates fibroblast proliferation and promotes the formation of fibrous proteins (mainly represented by collagen and elastin). These fibers are responsible for the suppleness and elasticity of connective tissue. Silicon concentrates in the skin and even more so in nails, body hair and hair. It contributes to the strength and high resistance of keratinized tissues. Low levels have been observed when keratinization is incomplete (psoriasis, exfoliative dermatitis) and high levels in cases of hyperkeratinization. Furthermore, skin aging is correlated with a decrease in silicon. Silicon also prevents hair loss and, in some cases, promotes regrowth.
Usages associés
Anti-aging
Several factors contribute to the aging process, including degeneration of the functional matrix (connective tissue). The extracellular matrix, composed of collagen and elastin fibers as well as glycosaminoglycans, provides these tissues with mechanical properties and also helps regulate metabolic activity. Silicon is involved in the metabolism of collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans; therefore its deficiency promotes aging of the skin, joints (with osteoarthritic changes) and bones (with a tendency toward osteoporosis).
Detoxifying
Silicon-containing compounds play an important protective role in the body, enhancing its self-defense functions and its detoxification capacity. This is partly because silicon compounds facilitate the elimination through urine of metabolites and foreign or toxic derivatives, and act as a barrier, slowing the progression of degenerative processes and increasing collagen biosynthesis.
Safe dosage
Adult: 20 mg - 50 mg
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), the European Food Safety Authority, issued a favorable scientific opinion in January 2009 on "orthosilicic acid stabilized with choline for nutritional purposes in food supplements". The scientific panel determined that the element silicon is fully bioavailable from choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid and that its use in food supplements poses no toxicological concerns. To date, no nutrient reference value (NRV) has been established in Europe. However, "EFSA estimated that the typical dietary intake of silicon is 20-50 mg/day, which corresponds to 0.3-0.8 mg of silicon/kg body weight per day for a 60 kg person, and concluded that such intakes are unlikely to have harmful effects". According to silicon toxicity studies, the lethal dose is greater than 5 g/kg body weight, which is more than 1,000 times higher than the dose beneficial to the human body.
Precautions
Pregnant women: avoid
There is not enough reliable information available on the safety of silicon when it is used at medicinal doses.
Breastfeeding women: avoid
There is not enough reliable information available on the safety of silicon when it is used at medicinal doses.
