Quick Navigation

Vanadium

Vanadium is a mineral that is not one of the Essential Mineral compounds, but is sometimes ingested in the diet. Can be found in bone tissues, Vanadium may influence glucose metabolism in an anti-diabetic manner.

Our evidence-based analysis on vanadium features 23 unique references to scientific papers.

Kamal
Research analysis lead by Kamal Patel
All content reviewed by Examine.com Team. Published:
Last Updated:

Things To Know & Note

Is a Form Of

Other Functions:

Primary Function:

Caution Notice

Examine.com Medical Disclaimer

  • Vanadium is non-stimulatory

How to Take Vanadium

Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details

The majority of research on vanadium uses an oral dose of 100mg as a once daily supplement in persons with poor glucose tolerance. It is unsure if this is the optimal dose, but it appears to be effective.

Human Effect Matrix

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what effects vanadium has on your body, and how strong these effects are.
Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The mo re evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Outcome Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-c Triglycerides Minor Very High See 2 studies
A slight increase in triglycerides has been noted with vanadium supplementation
grade-c HDL-C - Very High See 2 studies
No significant influence on HDL-C levels in serum of obese subjects
grade-c Insulin Sensitivity - Very High See all 5 studies
Although an insulin sensitizing effect cannot be fully ruled out at this point in time, the more robust evidence currently does not support this insulin sensitizing effect in obese persons with impaired glucose tolerance. It may be only in diabetics
grade-c LDL-C - Very High See all 3 studies
Mixed effects on LDL-C, likely no direct influence on LDL but may reduce overall LDL levels secondary to improving the diabetic state (which normally increases LDL)
grade-c Total Cholesterol - Very High See 2 studies
No significant alterations in the levels of total cholesterol per se, but a decrease has been noted to be secondary to attenuating diabetic symptoms
grade-d Blood Glucose Minor - See study
A decrease in blood glucose has been noted in type II diabetics which is thought to be secondary to reducing hepatic synthesis of glucose
grade-d Glycogen Resynthesis Minor - See study
An increase in glycogen content has been noted in diabetic persons given vanadium, no studies in athletes currently
grade-d HbA1c Minor Very High See 2 studies
A decrease in HbA1c has been noted with vanadium supplementation
grade-d Blood Pressure - - See study
No significant influence on blood pressure noted

Scientific Research on Vanadium

Click on any below to expand the corresponding section. Click on to collapse it.

Click here to fully expand all sections or here to fully collapse them.

1Sources and Structure

1.1Sources

Vanadium is what is known as an 'ultratrace' mineral in human nutrition.[1] It is not one of the classical 24 vitamins and minerals, although it is needed for certain reactions in the body, such as formation of a pervanadate requierd for phosphorylation of some protein receptors.[2] Typically between 6-20mcg of vanadium are consumed daily, mostly via peppers and seafood.[2]

Vanadium has a history of usage in diabetes treatment, where oral administration of sodium vanadate preceded the discovery of insulin in 1921.[3]

2Pharmacology

2.1Metabolism

Vanadium (Vanadate) can also form complexes with Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) to form Peroxovanadium (Pervanadate), which has more ability to inhibit Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases (PTPs) than Vanadate.[4][5]

2.2Enzymatic Interactions

Vanadium, as vanadate in vivo inhibits the P-type phosphorylated ATPases[6][7] and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs).[8] The dose to inhibit ATPases, however, is clinically significant only in toxic levels. Inhibition of PTP increases various tyrosine phosphorylation processes (as the phosphatases were inhibitory enzymes in phosphorylation).

Various effects come from PTP inhibition, such as inhibition of System A Amino Acid uptake into cells which transports neutral AA[5] It can increase glucose uptake and GLUT4 mobilization via a phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) independent pathway (unlike insulin).[9] The mechanism of action for vanadium acting as an insulin mimetic is increased general phosphorylation acting upon insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (of which get phosphorylated under the influence of insulin, as well as PTP inhibition).

3Interactions with Glucose Metabolism

3.1Mechanisms

Vanadium containing compounds are known to inhibited protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs)[10][11] as vanadium containing compounds tend to form a trigonal bipyramidal structure that can either act as a competitive inhibitor of phosphoryl transfer (which is the case for sodium orthovanadate) or an oxidizer of the cysteine residue of the PTP loop (peroxovanadate complexes).[12] Similar to other PTP inhibiting compound (PTP1B inhibitors include berberine and ursolic acid) vanadium can prolong signalling through the insulin receptor via preventing the negative regulation of IRS-1 degradation, which is induced downstream of insulin receptor signalling (via mTOR[13] signalling to S6K1[14]) and works via PTPs to suppress[15] and stimulate the degradation[16][17] of IRS-1 as a form of negative feedback.

1mmol/L sodium orthovanadate appears to enhance signalling (L6 myocyte) by around 25% and is associated with inhibiting the decline in PI3K/IRS-1 complex activity, but has been noted to not inhibit the loss in mass of IRS-1.[18]

Insulin eventually suppresses its own signalling via stimulating PTP enzymes (including PTP1B) which degrade IRS-1, the degration of IRS-1 then curtails further insulin signalling. Vanadium, like other PTP inhibitors, can prolong the signalling of insulin by preventing the degradation of IRS-1

3.2Interventions

One study that had separate groups of persons with Type II Diabetes and Healthy but obese controls noted that 100mg of Vanadium for 3 weeks was able to suppress glucose output from the liver in both groups, but only the diabetic group experienced an increase in insulin sensitivity while healthy controls had no significant changes in blood glucose parameters.[19]

One human study (n=14) with 40-50yr old persons with Impaired Glucose Tolerance given 50mg twice daily (100mg daily) for a period of one month (30 days) noted that, in response to a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, that vanadium treatment failed to improve insulin sensitivity and led to a small but significant increase in triglycerides.[20]

In persons without Type II Diabetes, the effects of Vanadium supplementation appear to be lesser to the point of ineffective

A study in type II diabetics (n=6) noted that after vanadium administration at 100mg daily during weeks 3-5 of a 7 week study (with placebo given for the beginning and final two study) noted that testing after 3 weeks of Vanadium administration was associated with increased glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity which was still noted 2 weeks after cessation of vanadium; these improvements were accompanied by a decrease in HbA1c from 9.6+/-0.6% to 8.8+/-0.6%.[21] Using Vanadium (as sulfate) at 150mg for 6 weeks was associated with a 20% reduction in fasting blood glucose and a decrease of HbA1c from 8.1+/-0.4 to 7.6+/-0.4%.[22] Although this study noted a reduction in endogenous glucose production by 20% in diabetics, the correlation of this reduction to the reduction in fasting blood glucose was r=0.6.[22]

However, the quality of these studies has been brought into question. This systemic review aimed to assess all double blind placebo-controlled studies on Vanadium and preliminary ended their search when they found none.[23] Studies that existed, and those cited above, tend to have no placebo group and are limited to small samples sizes; their significant results have much less statistical power than other compounds.

Although it shows some benefit, the studies that suggest this benefit are low powered and Vanadium has less good evidence for its usage despite the amount of human interventions

4Cardiovascular Health

4.1Cholesterol and Triglycerides

100mg daily for 30 days in persons with impaired glucose tolerance failed to modify LDL-C, HDL-C, or total cholesterol while it led to a slight increase in triglycerides from 1.4+/-0.6mmol/L to 1.7+/-0.5mmol/L.[20]

5Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions

5.1mTOR inhibition

One study using rapamycin (inhibitor of mTOR; used in this study to inhibit IRS-1 degradation which is a negative regulator of insulin signalling) noted that rapamycin and sodium orthovanadate (1mmol/L) were synergistic in increasing glucose uptake into an L6 myocyte in the presence of insulin from 26.42+/-3.73% (seen in vanadium alone) to 97.83+/-8.54% (combination; rapamycin alone caused 39.9+/-3.39% uptake).[18] This was due to inhibiting degradation of IRS-1 and prolonging signalling through the insulin receptor, which promoted PI3K induced glucose uptake, and was probably since vanadium could inhibit the degradation of PI3K/IRS-1 association (rapamycin ineffective) while rapamycin preventing the actual degradation of protein content of IRS-1 (vanadium ineffective).[18]

References

  1. Nielsen FH. The importance of diet composition in ultratrace element research. J Nutr. (1985)
  2. Nielsen FH. Nutritional requirements for boron, silicon, vanadium, nickel, and arsenic: current knowledge and speculation. FASEB J. (1991)
  3. Sakurai H. A new concept: the use of vanadium complexes in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Chem Rec. (2002)
  4. Kadota S, et al. Peroxide(s) of vanadium: a novel and potent insulin-mimetic agent which activates the insulin receptor kinase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. (1987)
  5. http://ajpcell.physiology.org/content/272/1/C156.abstract.
  6. Cantley LC Jr, et al. Vanadate is a potent (Na,K)-ATPase inhibitor found in ATP derived from muscle. J Biol Chem. (1977)
  7. Nechay BR, Saunders JP. Inhibition by vanadium of sodium and potassium dependent adenosinetriphosphatase derived from animal and human tissues. J Environ Pathol Toxicol. (1978)
  8. Swarup G, Cohen S, Garbers DL. Inhibition of membrane phosphotyrosyl-protein phosphatase activity by vanadate. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. (1982)
  9. Tsiani E, et al. Tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors, vanadate and pervanadate, stimulate glucose transport and GLUT translocation in muscle cells by a mechanism independent of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase C. Diabetes. (1998)
  10. Jackson TK, et al. Insulin-mimetic effects of vanadate in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Diabetes. (1988)
  11. Heffetz D, et al. The insulinomimetic agents H2O2 and vanadate stimulate protein tyrosine phosphorylation in intact cells. J Biol Chem. (1990)
  12. Solow BT, et al. Differential modulation of the tyrosine phosphorylation state of the insulin receptor by IRS (insulin receptor subunit) proteins. Mol Endocrinol. (1999)
  13. Takano A, et al. Mammalian target of rapamycin pathway regulates insulin signaling via subcellular redistribution of insulin receptor substrate 1 and integrates nutritional signals and metabolic signals of insulin. Mol Cell Biol. (2001)
  14. Haruta T, et al. A rapamycin-sensitive pathway down-regulates insulin signaling via phosphorylation and proteasomal degradation of insulin receptor substrate-1. Mol Endocrinol. (2000)
  15. Aguirre V, et al. Phosphorylation of Ser307 in insulin receptor substrate-1 blocks interactions with the insulin receptor and inhibits insulin action. J Biol Chem. (2002)
  16. Rice KM, Turnbow MA, Garner CW. Insulin stimulates the degradation of IRS-1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. (1993)
  17. Pederson TM, Kramer DL, Rondinone CM. Serine/threonine phosphorylation of IRS-1 triggers its degradation: possible regulation by tyrosine phosphorylation. Diabetes. (2001)
  18. O'Connor JC, Freund GG. Vanadate and rapamycin synergistically enhance insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Metabolism. (2003)
  19. Halberstam M, et al. Oral vanadyl sulfate improves insulin sensitivity in NIDDM but not in obese nondiabetic subjects. Diabetes. (1996)
  20. Jacques-Camarena O, et al. Effect of vanadium on insulin sensitivity in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. Ann Nutr Metab. (2008)
  21. Cohen N, et al. Oral vanadyl sulfate improves hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Clin Invest. (1995)
  22. Vanadyl Sulfate Improves Hepatic and Muscle Insulin Sensitivity in Type 2 Diabetes.
  23. Smith DM, Pickering RM, Lewith GT. A systematic review of vanadium oral supplements for glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. QJM. (2008)

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 23 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of references for this page.

Examine.com is intended to be used for educational and information purposes only. Examine.com and its Editors do not advocate nutritional supplementation over proper medical advice or treatment and this sentiment will never be expressed through pages hosted under Examine.com. If using any pharmaceuticals or drugs given to you by a doctor or received with a prescription, you must consult with the doctor in question or an equally qualified Health Care Professional prior to using any nutritional supplementation. If undergoing medical therapies, then consult with your respective Therapist or Health Care Professional about possible interactions between your Treatment, any Pharmaceuticals or Drugs being given, and possible nutritional supplements or practices hosted on Examine.com.

Examine.com does not assume liability for any actions undertaken after visiting these pages, and does not assume liability if one misuses supplements. Examine.com and its Editors do not ensure that unforeseen side effects will not occur even at the proper dosages, and thereby does not assume liability for any side effects from supplements or practices hosted under the domain of Examine.com.

Popular Supplements

TOP NUTRITION ARTICLES

Never miss an update!

Your e-mail is safe with us. We don’t share personal data.
Tweet