Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Small non-randomized before-and-after trial with sequential placebo and intervention phases
PubMed 21129941 · doi:10.1016/j.jtemb.2010.10.001
What was done
Eight healthy male volunteers were evaluated across three laboratory visits (days 0, 1, and 7). On day 0, baseline blood was drawn at 8:00 AM followed by a placebo with breakfast and serial blood collections every 2 hours for 6 hours. On day 1, subjects repeated the protocol with an acute dose of 10 mg boron. Participants then consumed 10 mg of boron daily with breakfast for one week, with a final fasting blood draw at 8:00 AM on day 7. Plasma boron, steroid hormones (free testosterone, estradiol, dihydrotestosterone, SHBG, cortisol), vitamin D, and inflammatory biomarkers (including hsCRP and TNF-α) were evaluated.
What was found
Plasma boron increased significantly after acute and weekly intake. At 6 hours post-dose, SHBG, hsCRP, and TNF-α decreased significantly. After one week of daily supplementation, mean plasma free testosterone increased significantly, mean plasma estradiol decreased significantly, and dihydrotestosterone, cortisol, and vitamin D were elevated. All three measured inflammatory biomarkers decreased. The abstract reports directional changes and significance claims but provides no exact numbers, baseline values, effect sizes, or p-values.
Why it matters
This study provides early preliminary human data suggesting that short-term oral boron supplementation may acutely modulate sex hormone binding and steroid metabolism while reducing systemic inflammatory markers.
Limits
The sample size is extremely small (n = 8) and restricted entirely to healthy males. The study used a non-randomized sequential design without a parallel control group or blinded crossover. The abstract reports no numerical values, variances, or exact significance thresholds. Duration was limited to 7 days, leaving long-term efficacy and safety unassessed.
Cited by
- supports Boron supplementation at a dose of 6 to 12 milligrams suppresses SHBG and liberates free testosterone.