MANGANESE
Although manganese is found in very few enzymes in the human body, it plays a role in activating a wide variety of enzymes, and that too makes it essential. Evaluating just how important manganese really is has proved to be difficult, however, because there is only one recorded case of a human manganese deficiency - and that was induced accidentally through an error in an experimental diet. The patient in question developed weight loss, decreased serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids, and a blood-clotting abnormality that did not respond to vitamin K until manganese was given. In any case, extrapolations from animal studies indicate that manganese deficiency can produce abnormalities in the metabolism of carbohydrates, glycosaminoglycans, and cholesterol.⁴ A reasonable amount of supplemental manganese is 8 mg/day.