Data Report · Manganese
This compilation separates two things that are often confused in everyday life: the measured values from nutrition research and the statements that an EU regulation authorizes for labeling. One belongs to data, the other to legal text.
Manganese is one of the most abundant metals in the Earth’s crust. For plants, it is a nutrient: they need it in particular in the water-splitting complex of photosynthesis, where four manganese atoms sit on a single structure. That is why plant foods have higher levels than animal foods, and why these levels vary with the soil the plant grew in.
The highest values among common foods are found in whole grains, legumes, hazelnuts, and — by a clear margin — dried tea leaves. With tea, note that it is not the leaf that is consumed but the infusion; the amount that ends up in the cup depends on steeping time and water hardness. Meat, fish, and dairy products, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the table.
| Food | Product category | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Rolled oats | Grain product | 4.5 mg |
| Whole wheat bread | Baked good | 2.0 mg |
| Hazelnuts | Nuts | 5.5 mg |
| Dried soybeans | Legume | 2.7 mg |
| Fresh pineapple | Fruit | 0.9 mg |
| Cooked spinach | Vegetable | 0.7 mg |
| Black tea, brewed | Beverage | 0.3 mg |
| Lean beef | Meat | 0.02 mg |
Approximate values from French food composition tables. Data for a particular batch may differ.
Two tables can list different figures for the same food without either being wrong. A plant’s content depends on the availability of manganese in the soil, which varies by region: acidic soils release the element more readily than chalky soils. Added to this are variety, harvest date, the extraction rate for grains, and water loss during cooking. Reliable compilations therefore give ranges rather than single values and state the number of samples analyzed.
The amount on the plate and the amount that reaches the tissue are two different quantities. For manganese, the gap between them is large: studies using labeled isotopes arrive at an absorption rate of just a few percent in adults. The rest leaves the intestine without crossing the lining.
The transporter that moves divalent metal ions across the brush-border membrane of the duodenum is called DMT1. It is not specific to a single element and accepts manganese, cobalt, and zinc in addition to iron. This creates competition: if the intestinal lumen contains a lot of iron, the share of manganese absorbed decreases, and vice versa. Phytates from grain hulls also bind the ion and hold it back — precisely in the foods with the highest levels.
What is absorbed first reaches the liver via the portal vein. From there, part of it enters the circulation, bound to plasma transport proteins, and is distributed to the bones, pancreas, kidneys, and brain. An adult’s total body store is on the order of a few milligrams — somewhere between a trace element and an ultra-trace element. Excretion occurs mainly through the bile. When intake rises, the liver increases this elimination; when it is low, the liver holds on. In this way the body keeps its store within a narrow range.
| Reference amount | Issuing body | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrient reference value for labeling | Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 | 2.0 mg |
| Estimated value for adequate intake | ANSES reference values | 2.0–5.0 mg |
| Adequate Intake (AI) | European Food Safety Authority | 3.0 mg |
| Minimum amount for an authorized claim | 15 % of the reference value per serving | 0.3 mg |
The nutrient reference value is used for labeling and does not represent an individual requirement. It falls under a different regulation than the authorized claims.
The European opinions do not base the authorized statements on observations in volunteers, but on the established function of the element in certain proteins. Three groups come up again and again.
This enzyme closes the cycle by which the liver converts ammonia into urea. Two manganese ions hold a water molecule at the active center and make it reactive; only then is arginine split. This assignment is well established in structural biology and appears in the opinions as evidence of involvement in amino acid metabolism.
In connective tissue and in the organic framework of bone, there are proteins with long sugar chains attached. The enzymes that extend these chains link by link work with a divalent metal ion that holds the sugar donor in place. Manganese fills this role in several of these enzymes. The claim relating to the maintenance of normal bones rests on this observation.
In the inner matrix of the mitochondrion, cellular respiration continuously produces superoxide. The protective enzyme located there makes two of these molecules react with each other: one gives up its extra electron, the other takes it on. What remains is ordinary oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, which other enzymes then convert into water. At the center of this process is a manganese atom that alternates between two charge states while itself remaining intact.
Per Regulation (EU) No 432/2012
Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishes a list of wordings that may be used on packaging and in advertising. It is a positive list: anything not on it may not be used as a health claim, even if it sounds plausible.
A claim comes with a condition. A product may only carry it if it contains, per serving or per 100 grams, at least a certain amount of the substance — derived from the nutrient reference value in the labeling regulation. If the content is lower, the right to use it lapses, regardless of how accurate the underlying biochemistry is.
The choice of words on the list is not accidental. “Maintenance” means keeping a normal state, not making it better. “Contribution” means taking part, not being the cause. And “normal” refers to the state of a healthy person, not to a set of symptoms. Anyone who reads these three words understands why the statements sound so restrained: they are worded exactly to the extent of the assessment.
The claims are addressed to the general population. They are neither a statement about any particular person, nor a recommendation to take anything, nor the promise of an effect.
The three entries in the Union list relating to manganese, reproduced exactly as they appear there. Each entry stands on its own; they may not be combined or reworded.
No. The two names sound alike, the elements do not. Magnesium has the symbol Mg, belongs to the alkaline earth metals, and is measured in grams in adults. Manganese has the symbol Mn, belongs to the transition metals, and in terms of body store is several orders of magnitude lower. The authorized claims also differ: the list contains considerably more entries for magnesium than for manganese.
For manganese from the regular diet, no tolerable upper intake level has been set in Europe, as the data were judged too limited. This is not permission to take more, but a statement about the state of the data. Attention focuses mainly on highly dosed single-ingredient preparations and on occupational exposure through inhalation, which is not comparable to dietary intake. Questions about your own intake belong in a medical consultation.
No. The entry speaks of the protection of cells from oxidative stress and thus stays at the level of the cell. It contains no statement about the appearance of the skin, wrinkles, or the aging process as a whole, and such a statement would not be covered by the authorization.
Manganese is released from manganese-bearing rock and can pass into groundwater. It is normally removed together with iron when drinking water is processed, since otherwise it causes brown discoloration and deposits in pipes; drinking-water rules set a limit for this. The contribution of tap water to daily intake is therefore generally small, but may differ for households supplied by a private well.
Because the assessment did not go any further. What is established is involvement in forming the ground substance in which bone mineral is deposited — that is, in maintaining existing tissue in its normal state. A statement about bone density, fractures, or building additional bone mass would be something else and is not part of the entry.
What appears on this page is an excerpt. The paid edition has 74 pages: series of measurements by product category with the number of samples, intake values from several bodies side by side, the complete Q&A section, and a list of the opinions used, with references.
One-time access · Digital information product
Your purchase is not binding for 14 days. A short message to our contact address is enough, no reason is required, and the refund is issued through the same payment method used for the purchase. When the period begins and the sample form can be found in the Cancellation Policy.
The content of this website is general information about a trace element. It is neither medical advice, nor a diagnosis, nor instructions for self-medication. If you have symptoms or an existing illness, are pregnant or breastfeeding, and before taking dietary supplements, please consult a doctor’s office or a pharmacy. Dietary supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle. Follow the dose stated by the manufacturer and keep these products out of the reach of young children. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Only the company named in the legal notice is responsible for this website. There is no ownership or editorial connection between this offer and Google LLC, YouTube LLC, or Alphabet Inc. The names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. None of the texts published here has been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by these companies. Booking advertising space with these providers does not imply any position on the content of this website.
Reports of transposed figures, questions about a table, or requests about digital access are received here; a reply usually follows within two business days.
If a form feels like too much, write to [email protected]