When to take Vanadium | PlanYourVitamins.com

What is vanadium good for?

Short answer: Vanadium has potential benefits for antioxidants, cholesterol levels, diabetes, blood sugar levels, metabolism and cancer prevention.

Vanadium is a trace mineral that can be found in tiny amounts in our food, mostly in grains and vegetables, and is currently being researched for its potential benefits in a range of health conditions, including diabetes and cancer.

Vanadium for diabetes

It is thought that vanadium plays a role in insulin sensitivity, while also regulating blood sugar levels and LDL cholesterol levels, which is good news for people who suffer from diabetes or consider themselves at risk of developing the disease. One study found that people with type 2 diabetes were able to lower their LDL cholesterol levels through vanadium supplementation.

Vanadium for cancer

Vanadium has also demonstrated anticancer properties, including the prevention of cancer cell proliferation and the induction of cancer cell death. There is also ongoing research that involves repurposing existing therapeutic drugs and combining them with vanadium complexes for the purpose of further investigating and taking advantage of vanadium's anticancer effects.

Abundance and necessity

In addition to the fact that vanadium is only present in our food on a scale of micrograms (with one microgram being equivalent to one millionth of a gram), our body only actually absorbs approximately 1% of that, as the rest is excreted.

This means that despite being the 21st most abundant element in the Earth's crust, and tied for first place as the most abundant transition metal found in sea water, the average amount of vanadium found in a human individual amounts to a grand total of less than 1mg. It is extremely ubiquitous, but in tiny amounts, and this makes things complicated when it comes to determining vanadium's importance in human health.

Research so far has demonstrated that vanadium offers an array of properties that are beneficial to human health, and that under certain conditions it is able to function as an antioxidant. However, due to the fact that vanadium plays mostly a secondary role, combined with the complexity of the interactions and infinitesimally small scale upon which these interactions happen, research remains somewhat limited, and therefore has not yet been classified as an "essential" trace element.

That said, certain animal studies that carefully excluded vanadium from newborn's dietary intake suggest that it may very well be an essential element, prompting the necessity for further research.

When should I take vanadium?

Short answer: Vanadium is best taken with a meal, at any time of day.

When taken on an empty stomach, vanadium can potentially cause gastrointestinal discomfort, including stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea and bloating, so it is advisable to take it with a meal in order to minimize any unwanted side effects.

That said, there does not seem to be a specific time of day that is best suited for taking vanadium, so you can include it with whichever meal is most appropriate.

What does vanadium combine well with?

Short answer: Vanadium has been shown to work well together with fish oil, krill oil and omega-3.

Vanadium with omega-3, for cancer prevention

Several studies have shown that vanadium demonstrates anticancer properties, and this is enhanced when vanadium is combined with omega-3 supplements such as fish oil or krill oil.

Specifically, a combination of vanadium and fish oil has been shown to suppress tumor growth, prevent cancer cell proliferation, and induce cancer cell death.

What are natural sources of vanadium?

If you are interested in achieving your daily vanadium intake through your diet, rich sources of vanadium include:

Grains
Cereals
Legumes
Mushrooms
Spinach
Parsley
Black pepper

Vanadium data sources & further reading

Last updated by Asklepios on 30th January, 2025