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MANFRED ANKE AN. R. ACAD. NAC. FARM.

Women do not drink as much beer as men. Accordingly, more
than 55% of women took in < 10 µg V/day, while only 3% had an
intake of > 88 µg V/day (3).

Nursing mothers (12.1 µg/day) consumed the same amount of
vanadium in comparison to non-lactating women (12.2 µg/day).
Mexican women and men with mixed diets took in the same amount
of vanadium as Europeans. Ovo-lacto-vegetarians do not drink much
beer and wine, which are rich in vanadium. They prefer vegetables,
cacao products and nuts, which are rich in vanadium, too. The va-
nadium intake decreases with increasing age (3).

Estimates for the American intake of vanadium (based on a food
intake of 500 g dry weight) are 10 to 60 µg/day (57). This calculation
with a dry matter intake of 500 g is too high. European women take
in 300 g/day and men 380 g/day (mixed diet). Generally, the calcu-
lation of the trace element intake with the help of the market basket
overestimates the intake (3).

Vanadium deficiency has not been investigated in humans. Most
diets, on a weekly average, supply > 10 µg V/day, which suggests that
a dietary intake of 10 µg V/day probably meets any postulated vana-
dium requirement.

Absorption and Distribution of Vanadium

A significant amount of vanadium absorption occurs in the upper
gastrointestinal tract. Most ingested vanadium probably is transfor-
med to VO2+ in the stomach and passes into the duodenum in this
form (97, 133, 54).

In serum, absorbed vanadium is transported mainly bound to
transferrin (77, 76). Vanadium in rats’ milk was found mainly in
the protein fraction and perhaps in lactoferrin. In this form, vana-
dium is transferred from the mother to the pups. In older rats, va-
nadium is apparently converted into vanadyl-transferrin and ferritin
complexes in plasma and body fluids (42, 107).

The vanadium status of tissues and organs is not homeostatically
regulated. In goats with high (2000 µg V/kg) and low (< 20 µg V/kg)

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