Boron supplements and bone health in people
What it found
In people, taking 3 mg of boron a day, alone or with other nutrients, was linked to changes in calcium, vitamin D and sex hormone levels that support bone.
The authors say this dose may help maintain bone mineral density.
What they found
Studies in people
Calcium and magnesium loss
In postmenopausal women, 3 mg of boron a day for 48 days reduced the amount of calcium and magnesium lost in urine. A low-boron diet increased calcium loss.
Sex hormone levels
Boron supplements increased blood levels of estradiol and testosterone in some studies. In men, 10 mg a day for 4 weeks raised estradiol; another study found free testosterone went up and estradiol went down after 7 days.
Vitamin D levels
In people with low vitamin D, 6 mg a day of boron as calcium fructoborate for 60 days raised vitamin D levels by about 20%. Another study found a rise in a different form of vitamin D.
Bone density with other nutrients
When boron was taken with calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and other nutrients, bone mineral density increased in some studies. One 2-year study found no effect on bone density.
Animal and lab studies
Bone markers in animals
Animal and lab studies found boron increased bone mineralization and osteoblast activity, and boron deficiency led to poorer bone healing. These were not studies in people.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that a daily supplement of 3 mg of boron, alone or with other nutrients, is useful to support bone health and maintain adequate bone mineral density.
- They note that this 3 mg dose is much lower than the upper level of 10 mg per day set by EFSA.
- They suggest it may be necessary to evaluate whether to classify boron among the essential microelements for humans.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether boron supplements, and how much, could help maintain bone health, because there were no clear guidelines on this.
They looked at 11 studies in humans: 7 on boron alone and 4 on boron with other nutrients. In total, 594 people were studied, taking various doses of boron for different lengths of time.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the human studies were small and looked at short-term changes in blood and urine, not at whether fractures were prevented.
- The studies often gave boron along with other nutrients, so it is hard to know how much of the effect came from boron alone.
- Animal and lab results cannot show what happens in people.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Italy; University of Pavia, Italy; University of Bahrain, Bahrain
The paper
- Title
- Pivotal role of boron supplementation on bone health: A narrative review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Rondanelli M, Faliva MA, Peroni G, et al (2020). Pivotal role of boron supplementation on bone health: A narrative review. Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology. doi:10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126577Free full textPubMed 32540741DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error