Children (4–8 y): 22mg
Children (9–13 y): 34mg
Adolescents (14–18): 43mg
Adults: 45mg
Pregnancy: 50mg
Lactation: 50mg
Molybdenum in nutritional supplements is avail-
able in the form ofsodiummolybdate or ammonium
molybdate. Molybdenum in food is principally in the
form of the organic molybdenum cofactors. The effi-
ciency of absorption of nutritional molybdenum in
supplements ranges from 88–93%, and the efficiency
of absorption of molybdenum from foods ranges from
57–88%.Precautions
Pregnant women and nursing mothers should be
careful not to use supplemental molybdenum inamounts greater than RDA amounts. Those with
excess build–up of uric acid in the blood (hyperurice-
mia) or gout should also exercise caution in the use of
supplements. Overall, it is believed that the toxicity of
molybdenum compounds appears to be relatively low
in humans. The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of
the Institute of Medicine found little evidence that
molybdenum excess was associated with adverse
health effects in healthy people. Hyperuricemia and
gout–like symptoms have only been reported in occu-
pationally exposed workers in a copper–molybdenum
plant and in an Armenian population consuming 10–
15 mg of molybdenum from food daily. Other studies
report that blood and urinary uric acid levels were not
elevated by molybdenum intakes of up to 1.5 mg/day.
Dietary molybdenum deficiency has never been
observed in healthy people. Molybdenum cofactor
deficiency and isolated sulfite oxidase deficiency are
the only two disorders associated with this traceKEY TERMS
Acetaminophen—An aspirin substitute that works as
a pain killer and fever reducer, but does not have
anti–inflammatory properties and does not produce
the side effects associated with aspirin, such as stom-
ach irritation.
Amino acid—Organic (carbon–containing) mole-
cules that serve as the building blocks of proteins.
Antioxidant—Any substance that prevents or
reduces damage caused by reactive oxygen species
(ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS).
Antioxidant enzyme—An enzyme that can counter-
act the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues.
Catabolism—The metabolic breakdown of large
molecules in living organism, with accompanying
release of energy.
Chelation therapy—The use of a ring–shaped com-
pound called a chelating agent, that can form com-
plexes with a circulating metal and assisting in its
removal from the body.
Cofactor—A compound that is essential for the
activity of an enzyme.
Blood brain barrier—A physiological mechanism
that alters the permeability of brain capillaries, so
that some substances, such as certain drugs, are
prevented from entering brain tissue, while other
substances are allowed to enter freely.Detoxification—The process of detoxifying, mean-
ing the removal of toxic substances.
Enzyme—A biological catalyst, meaning a sub-
stance that increases the speed of a chemical reac-
tion without being changed in the overall process.
Enzymes are proteins and vitally important to the
regulation of the chemistry of cells and organisms.
Gout—Painful inflammation of the big toe and foot
caused by an abnormal uric acid catabolism result-
ing in deposits of the acid and its salts in the blood
and joints.
Hyperuricemia—Abnormally elevated blood level
of uric acid, the breakdown product of purines that
are part of many foods we eat.
Inflammation—A response of body tissues to injury
or irritation characterized by pain and swelling and
redness and heat.
Macro minerals—Minerals that are needed by the
body in relatively large amounts. They include
sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium, phosphorus,
magnesium.
Macronutrients—Nutrients needed by the body in
large amounts. They include proteins, carbohydrates
and fats.
Metabolism—The sum of the processes (reactions) by
which a substance is assimilated and incorporatedMolybdenum