Fulvic Acid
From Steve Kroening's Nutrient Insider from Advanced Bionutritionals, October 10, 2011:
"Why mineral supplements may not improve your health
"Are you taking mineral supplements to help keep you healthy? If so, you might be wasting your money. No, there's nothing wrong with the supplements. They're great for your health. But the minerals may never get into the cells in your body simply because of another deficiency.
"As you may know, the best way to get minerals is from plants grown in mineral-rich soil. The plants absorb the minerals and pass them along to us. Along with minerals, soil typically contains something called fulvic acid. This acid is vital for helping the cells in our body absorb minerals. Here's how it works.
"Fulvic acid takes minerals and other nutrients that you ingest and turns them into minute molecules. This makes the minerals much easier to absorb. And better absorption means healthier cells and better energy production. Without fulvic acid, your cells don't absorb minerals as effectively and there's not enough energy for your body to function optimally.
"Unfortunately, most of us don't get enough fulvic acid in our diet. You may have heard that our soil doesn't have as many minerals in it as it used to. Studies suggest that over-farming has depleted the soil of these nutrients. But new studies show that just as soil doesn't contain the minerals it once did, it's also missing ample amounts of fulvic acid.
"As a result, we're not getting nearly enough minerals in our diet. And the minerals we do get just aren't absorbed as well as they should be. So our health suffers.
"Back in 1977, a team of researchers found that fulvic acid has antioxidant effects. It can significantly reduce free-radicals' ability to cause oxidative damage on your cells. As you may know, oxidation causes numerous health problems. It's the process that causes cholesterol to turn from a powerful nutrient into artery plaque. And it can encourage cells to age faster and become cancerous. So fulvic acid has the ability to slow the effects of aging, including wrinkles, memory loss, and arthritis.
"However, a recent study shows that fulvic acid may have a greater use as a detoxifier. In this study, researchers looked at how well fulvic acid removes mercury from pigs. Pigs have a detoxification system that's very similar to humans. The researchers divided 15 pigs into four groups and fed each of the groups radioactive mercury in their feed. They gave the first group a placebo. And they gave groups two through four increasing doses of fulvic acid (the fourth group received the highest dose).
"Then the researchers measured radioactive mercury in their feces and urine each day. The animals who took the highest dose of fulvic acid excreted 86% of the ingested mercury. Compare that to 64.9% in controls. Overall, the fulvic acid caused a 21% increase in mercury elimination.
"The researchers also measured residual mercury in the pigs' organs. They found a significant drop in the mercury levels of the brain, kidney, and lung. The fulvic acid reduced mercury in the brain — where it can contribute to Alzheimer's in humans — by whopping 87% compared to controls!
"That means fulvic acid could potentially prevent Alzheimer's and many other heavy metal-related illnesses. We need more studies on fulvic acid to confirm these results. But if you're at risk for Alzheimer's or any other disease that could be the result of heavy metals or mineral deficiency (such as osteoporosis), you may not want to wait for more studies. You can try fulvic acid supplements and see if they help your condition. You can find them at most health food stores and on the Internet.
"Sources:
Senesi, N., Y. Chen, and M. Schmitzer. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 1977.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Kapsovar, Kapsovar, Hungary."
