Nickel

Nickel has been considered as a possibly essential trace mineral for several decades. We have a total of about 10 mg. in our body, but we still do not know exactly what it does. Most of the nutritional research on nickel has been done with chicks and rats. It is an essential nutrient for these animals, and they suffer considerable problems with nickel deficiency.

Special Precautions of Nickel

• Toxicity is the main concern here-not from elemental nickel or the nickel found in foods but from inhaled nickel carbonyl, a carcinogenic gas that results from the reaction of nickel with heated carbon monoxide, from cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and some industrial wastes. Nickel carbonyl is toxic and can cause symptoms such as frontal headaches, nausea, vomiting, or vertigo with acute exposure. Inhaled nickel accumulates in the lungs and has been associated with increased rates of lung, nasal, and laryngeal cancers.
• Nickel allergy can also cause local skin or systemic reactions. The nickel in jewelry, dental materials, or prosthetic joints or heart valves may also be allergenic sources.

The benefits of Nickel are

• The biological function of nickel is still somewhat unclear. Nickel is found in the body in highest concentrations in the nucleic acids, particularly RNA, and is thought to be somehow involved in protein structure or function. It may activate certain enzymes related to the breakdown or utilization of glucose. Nickel may aid in prolactin production, and thus be involved in human breast milk production. Nickel enables dietary iron absorption and contributes to the development of red blood cells.
• Patients with the highest levels of nickel and selenium were between 33 per cent and 95 per cent less likely to have pancreatic cancer compared with those with the lowest levels. The positive influence of selenium and nickel appeared to be unchanged even after researchers accounted for other known risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity.

Food Sources

Nickel deficiency has not been shown to be a concern in humans, but it is definitely a problem in chicks and other small animals, where low nickel can lead to decreased growth, dermatitis, pigment changes, decreased reproduction capacities, and compromised liver function. In humans, increased sweating, such as from exercise, can cause nickel losses, and extra dietary nickel may be required to maintain its still mysterious functions. Good food sources of include lentils, asparagus, oats, mushrooms, beans and pears.