⚙️ Manganese
The quiet mineral behind bone building, blood sugar, and your own antioxidant enzyme.
🔬 The science, kept simple
Manganese is a cofactor for the enzymes that build cartilage and bone, process carbohydrates and cholesterol, and heal wounds. It is also the heart of superoxide dismutase inside your mitochondria, the body's own antioxidant that mops up the byproducts of burning fuel. Whole grains, legumes, nuts, and tea supply plenty; refining grains removes most of it.
Why you need it: Bone and cartilage formation, steady blood sugar handling, wound healing, and antioxidant defense inside your cells.
Daily target: About 2.3 mg a day for men and 1.8 mg for women.
📖 In Scripture
'He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth' (Psalm 104:14). Manganese is one of the earth's gifts that comes up through the grain and the leaf.
🥇 Best food sources, ranked
- Whole grains and oats ... about 1-2 mg per cup, cooked
- Brown rice ... about 1.8 mg per cup, cooked
- Chickpeas ... about 1.7 mg per cup, cooked
- Pineapple ... about 1.5 mg per cup
- Pecans ... about 1.3 mg per ounce
- Spinach ... about 1.7 mg per cup, cooked
- Green tea ... about 0.5 mg per cup, brewed
- Lentils ... about 1 mg per cup, cooked
Figures are approximate, in the style of USDA FoodData Central; real foods vary with soil, variety, and cooking.
⚖️ Worth knowing
Deficiency is very uncommon on a whole-food diet. Too much is mostly a hazard for welders and miners breathing it in, and for people with liver disease who cannot clear it. Green tea is rich in it, which is fine in ordinary amounts.
Matters most for
Educational information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before supplements, especially with kidney, thyroid, or heart conditions or in pregnancy.