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News from CRIS: Protective Nutrition - Heavy Metals

January 27, 2025

Top Takeaways:

  • A nutrient-rich diet supports chronic disease prevention and can reduce the absorption of specific trace dietary heavy metals.
  • Essential heavy metals (like iron, zinc, copper, and manganese) are vital in small amounts and are protective nutrients.
  • While protective nutrition can keep you healthy, nutrition alone cannot prevent or treat heavy metal poisoning.

What is protective nutrition?

Proper nutrition serves as a powerful defense mechanism for our health.

At CRIS, we define protective nutrition as the practice of prioritizing foods and beverages rich in essential nutrients that not only safeguard our bodies from chronic diseases but also mitigate the impacts of environmental contaminants. By prioritizing protective nutrition, we maintain our overall well-being.

What are heavy metals? Are heavy metals bad for my health?

Heavy metals: scientific definition

Heavy metals are elements with high atomic weights and densities greater than 5 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³). They are characterized by their ability to form cations (positively charged ions) and bond with organic or inorganic molecules.

While some heavy metals are toxic, others are essential for our biological functions.

Essential (heavy) metals

Essential heavy metals are a subset of heavy metals that are necessary for biological processes in humans and other organisms. These include:

  • Iron (Fe): Critical for oxygen transport and energy production.
  • Zinc (Zn): Supports immune function, cell growth, and wound healing.
  • Copper (Cu): Aids in iron metabolism and connective tissue formation.
  • Manganese (Mg): Involved in bone formation and metabolic processes.

Heavy metals in everyday conversation

In everyday terms, heavy metals often refer to toxic metals that can accumulate in the body and cause harm, such as lead in paint, mercury in fish, or arsenic in drinking water.

It’s important to distinguish between heavy metals that are non-essential (like mercury) and those that are beneficial in small amounts (like zinc).

For most people, the concern lies in limiting exposure to harmful heavy metals while ensuring sufficient intake of essential metals through a balanced diet.

Am I exposed to harmful amounts of heavy metals through my diet?

In general, the answer is no. Outside of rare cases of food fraud—where harmful levels of heavy metals have been intentionally added—there is no widespread evidence to suggest that people are experiencing heavy metal toxicity from their everyday diet.

The heavy metals found in our food typically exist at trace levels, meaning their concentrations are incredibly small. These levels are well below what would pose a risk to human health unless consumed in massive, unrealistic quantities over a short period of time.

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To continue reading the entire blog post, visit: https://cris.msu.edu/news/protective-nutrition-news/protective-nutrition-heavy-metals/