About this ingredient
Boron is a naturally occurring element with the chemical symbol B and atomic number 5. It is found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and other plant foods and is also available in dietary supplements. Common supplemental forms include boron citrate, boron glycinate, boron aspartate, boron gluconate and calcium fructoborate.
Research has investigated boron's potential relationship with calcium metabolism, bone formation, vitamin D and steroid-hormone metabolism, brain function, insulin and energy metabolism, reproduction and immune function. However, the human evidence is not sufficient to establish boron as an essential nutrient or to claim that boron supplements treat a particular disease.
An important distinction for supplement formulations is that Boron is not the same thing as Boric Acid. Boric acid is one chemical form through which boron exists in the body, but nutritional boron supplements are normally supplied as specific boron-containing compounds. Most ingested boron is converted to boric acid in the gastrointestinal tract.