ABSTRACT
Manganese could be poised to garner major attention from both researchers and the public, or it could continue to generate limited attention. The potential interest burst would likely involve this element as a contributor to antioxidant function, as a builder of bone structure, or as a regulator of blood sugar. On the other hand, the relative obscurity of manganese could continue due to limited information in three areas:
1. Typical intakes vs. needs 2. Bioavailability from different food and supplement sources 3. Sensitivity of various functions to small changes in nutritional status
In other words, we still don’t know if moderate changes in manganese intake from various sources really impacts health in many people. If we can gain more insight on these issues, manganese could prove to be a very interesting mineral in human nutrition.
