Molybdenum
This trace element is important for the metabolism of the building blocks of DNA
and RNA.
Function
Molybdenum (pronounced mo-lib-de-num) is part of several enzymes that metabolize proteins.
Food Sources
Common dietary sources: soybeans, lentils, buckwheat, oats, rice. Cows eat grains, so milk and cheese have some of this trace element. This trace element also leeches into drinking water from surrounding soil. The content of this trace element of plants and drinking water depends entirely on how much this trace element is in the soil.
Side Effects
This trace element is found in trace amounts in plants and animals, although excess of this trace element can be toxic in some animals. Acute toxicity hasn´t been seen in humans, and the toxicity depends strongly on the chemical state.
High amounts of this trace element can interfere with the body´s uptake of copper, both by preventing plasma proteins from binding the copper and by increasing the amount of copper that is excreted in urine.