ReviewNutrients2026
Dietary Lithium, Silicon, and Boron: An Updated Critical Review of Their Roles in Metabolic Regulation, Neurobiology, Bone Health, and the Gut Microbiome.
Review in Nutrients, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Boron as a Context-Dependent System-Level Modulator: Mechanisms and Implications in Chronic Diseases.Biological trace element research · 2026Review
- Dietary Silicon Supplementation Improves Egg Production Performance in Late-Phase Laying Hens: Roles of Antioxidant Capacity, Reproductive Hormones, and Serum Cu/Zn Regulation.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Modulatory effect of porous silicon water-formulated catechin on gut microbiome in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced dementia in a rat model.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Mental health and gut-brain crosstalk: implications for depression and Alzheimer's disease.Neuroscience applied · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesLithium (Li), silicon (Si), and boron (B) are proposed nutritional trace elements with potential roles in metabolic, neurobiological, endocrine, inflammatory, and bone-related processes. This review provides a critical synthesis of data on Li-Si-B, emphasizing (i) physiological and mechanistic pathways, (ii) human clinical relevance, (iii) shared biological domains, and (iv) safety considerations.
methodsA narrative review was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to January 2025. Predefined search strings targeted dietary, environmental, and supplemental exposures of lithium, silicon, or boron in relation to metabolism, endocrine function, neurobiology, inflammation, bone health, and the gut microbiome. Inclusion criteria required peer-reviewed studies in English. Data extraction followed a structured template, and evidence was stratified into human, animal, cellular, and ecological tiers. Methodological limitations were critically appraised.
resultsLi, Si, and B influence overlapping molecular pathways including oxidative stress modulation, mitochondrial stability, inflammatory signaling, endocrine regulation, and epithelial/gut barrier function. Human evidence remains limited: Li is supported primarily by small trials; Si by bone-related observational studies and biomarker-oriented interventions; and B by metabolic, inflammatory, and cognitive studies of modest sample size. Convergence across elements appears in redox control, barrier function, and neuroimmune interactions, but mechanistic synergism remains hypothetical.
conclusionsAlthough Li-Si-B display compelling mechanistic potential, current human data are insufficient to justify dietary recommendations or supplementation. Considerable research gaps-including exposure assessment, dose-response characterization, toxicity thresholds, and controlled human trials-must be addressed before translation into public health policy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.