Dietary Silicon Intake of Korean Young Adult Males and Its Relation to their Bone Status

Abstract

Accumulated data suggests a positive effect of silicon on bone health; however, limited research exists on the silicon content of foods. To further the understanding of the relationship between dietary silicon intake and bone health, a food composition database of commonly consumed foods in Korea is required. For quantitative data on the intake levels of silicon, we analyzed the silicon content of 365 food items commonly consumed in Korea using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry following microwave-assisted digestion. To investigate the dietary silicon intake status and to examine the potential role of dietary silicon intake in the bone status of men, a total of 400 healthy Korean adult males aged 19-25 were observed for their diet intake and calcaneus bone density using the 24-h recall method and quantitative ultrasound, respectively. Clinical markers reflecting bone metabolism such as serum total alkaline phosphatase, N-mid osteocalcin, and type 1 collagen C-terminal telopeptide concentrations were also analyzed. Silicon intake of the subjects was estimated as 37.5 ± 22.2 mg/day. Major food sources of dietary silicon in the Korean male were cereal and cereal products (25.6 % of total silicon intake), vegetables (22.7 %), beverages and liquors (21.2 %), and milk and milk products (7.0 %). Silicon intake correlated positively with age, weight, energy intake, protein intake, calcium intake, and alcohol intake. After adjusted for age, weight, energy intake, protein intake, calcium intake, alcohol intake, smoking cigarettes, and regular exercise status, daily total silicon intake had no correlation with calcaneus bone density and the bone metabolism markers, but silicon intake from vegetables had a positive correlation with serum total alkaline phosphatase activity, a bone formation maker. These findings show the possible positive relationship between dietary silicon intake from vegetables and the bone formation of young adult males. Further investigation in a larger (Korean) population and correcting for additional nutritional confounders is required to confirm these findings.

Silicon: A neglected micronutrient essential for bone health

“…6 Compared to the values reported in the latter study, in Belgium, (using the duplicate portion sampling technique of 24-h meals) a lower average daily intake of Si, equal to 18.6 AE 8.5 mg, was estimated; 11 in a sample of young Korean men (age 19-25 years), however, the estimate was greater, equal to 37.5 AE 22.2 mg Si/day, mainly deriving from cereals and derivatives (25.6% of the total intake), vegetables (22.7%), drinks and liqueurs (21.2%), milk, and derivatives (7%) (however, the intake of Si with drinking water was not considered). 12 These differences could be at least in part due to the different dietary patterns and the different Si contents of the foods in the various geographical areas considered, as well as to the variable quality of the data used. 12 Using a food composition database in the UK and a semi-quantitative FFQ of 150 self-administered items, McNaughton et al calculated the average daily intake of Si in a sample of post-menopausal Scottish women older at 60, it was 18.6 mg (SD 4.6).…”

Correlations among plasma silicon, magnesium and calcium in patients with knee osteoarthritis – analysis in consideration of gender

“…An association has been found between dietary silicon and bone condition in humans [28]. Moreover, the associations between silicon metabolism and female hormones have been investigated and relationships of Si bone metabolism with oestrogen status revealed [25,29]; however, other authors did not find any correlations of its absorption and excretion with oestradiol [30]. Additionally, the differences between the male and female studied groups regarding the beneficial influence of silicon preparation treatment in knee OA patients have been reported [31].…”

Dietary Silicon and Its Impact on Plasma Silicon Levels in the Polish Population

“…Calculations of the composition of foods were performed using Diet v. 6.0 software with an uploaded photo album of products and meals (National Food and Nutrition Institute, Warsaw, Poland, 2019). Amounts of silicon in the diet were calculated using data from analyses of Polish food products performed at the Department of Food Science and Dietetics (Wroclaw Medical University) and from published data on the silicon content of foods originating in Poland, the UK, Belgium, the USA, and South Korea [9,10,16,17,18,19,20,21]. The following products purchased on the Polish market were analyzed in our laboratory: cereal products, fruit and vegetable juices, and mineral and spring waters.…”