Dietary boron, brain function, and cognitive performance
Penland JG
Published in Environmental Health Perspectives
Abstract
Double-blind study showing boron supplementation (3.25mg daily) improved cognitive function and psychomotor skills compared to low-boron diet (0.25mg). Enhanced performance on tasks requiring attention, perception, memory, and manual dexterity. EEG changes indicated increased brain electrical activity. First human study demonstrating boron's role in brain function. Mechanism likely through effects on membrane function and neurotransmitter release.
Methodology
Controlled dietary depletion-repletion studies in human volunteers with EEG recording and a battery of cognitive and psychomotor tests.
Key Findings
When dietary boron was raised from about 0.25 mg to 3.25 mg per day, participants showed improved performance on tasks of attention, short-term memory, manual dexterity and psychomotor speed, alongside EEG changes indicating reduced low-frequency activity and increased alertness.
Conclusions
Low boron intake appears to impair aspects of brain electrical activity and cognitive performance, and repletion reverses these effects — an early signal that boron is a functionally relevant trace element.
Limitations
Very small metabolic-ward studies from a single laboratory, decades old, with multiple cognitive comparisons and no modern replication; effect sizes and clinical relevance are uncertain.
Supplements Studied
When dietary boron was raised from about 0.25 mg to 3.25 mg per day, participants showed improved performance on tasks of attention, short-term memory, manual dexterity and psychomotor speed, alongside EEG changes indicating reduced low-frequency activity and increased alertness.
Outcomes Measured
Boron supplementation (3.25mg daily) improved cognitive function and psychomotor skills, enhanced attention, perception, memory, and manual dexterity with increased brain electrical activity.
Study Details
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Disclosures
Funding
US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center)
This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.