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Health Options
Alan Titchenal |
Indium claims questionable
Advertisements for dietary supplements often contain claims that a product promotes increased energy and long-term health and is the secret to youth. After receiving a booklet claiming that indium is a missing trace mineral now available in a dietary supplement, a reader asked that we evaluate the claims. Promotional literature included testimonial statements that the supplement improves most afflictions.
Question: What is indium and what are its uses?
Answer: Indium is a chemical element found on the periodic table near elements like cadmium, tin, mercury and lead. This metal is best known for its use in the manufacturing of semiconductors and other electronic components. It is also used in radio-pharmaceuticals for medical diagnostic purposes and for predicting and monitoring the response of patients to various treatments.
Q: Is indium toxic like its periodic-table neighbors?
A: Indium is considered to be toxic in most of its chemical forms. Based on animal studies, many indium compounds can damage the heart, kidney, liver and muscle tissues, and cause birth defects. In reviewing the scientific literature, we could find no biological role for indium, but plenty of concern for its toxicity.
Q: Is it possible that indium could be beneficial in small amounts?
A: We could not find one of the testimonial claims to be backed by sound science published in a reputable scientific journal. Remember, the right to freedom of speech does not require that speech to be true.
Below are two claims we found on Web sites selling indium products. Examining these claims will show the absurdity of dietary products containing indium.
Claim: "The 7th rarest Mineral #49 on the Periodic Table, INDIUM, until now was not bioavailable, therefore all plants & animals are 99% deficient."
If indium was not available for absorption until this new formula was developed, why is it suddenly a required element? How can 99 percent of plants and animals be deficient in something not known to have any biological function?
Claim: "Indium is not found in food or water; in fact, although it is not ordinarily found in the human body at all after approximately 25-30 years of age, most people experience beneficial results immediately."
If this element is not found in food or water, why would anyone want to ingest it? If indium has such phenomenal benefits, why is there no published research to support the claims?
We could find no substantiation for any claims of benefit from indium. Based on the lack of current reliable research, indium may belong in your watch or your cell phone, but not in your body. Buyer beware!
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Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S. and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, UH-Manoa. Dr. Dobbs also works with the University Health Services and prepares the nutritional analyses marked with an asterisk in this section.
