Lithium

Lithium essential to emotional balance

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Discovering The Surprising Benefits Of Lithium

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Lithium Orotate for anxiety & depression

Lithium Deficiency and Mental Health with Dr. James Greenblatt

Lithium, unfortunately, has a bad reputation. Before there was a full understanding of the risks from high-dose use, lithium chloride was introduced as a salt substitute in the middle of the last century. Tragically, liberal use of lithium salt substitutes caused lithium intoxication in some individuals, even leading to death in several cases. Additionally, pharmacologic lithium has a risk profile that includes hypothyroidism and kidney damage, which has further tarnished the reputation of the mineral. Due to these concerns, doctors often view lithium with suspicion and avoid prescribing the mineral for any indication.

Research has also found that, for many conditions, low nutritional doses can lead to clinical benefits without the risks from high-dose or standard pharmacological use. For decades, data has been accumulating that individuals with higher lithium exposure from groundwater have better mental health outcomes. The data also suggests that low-level exposure to lithium reduces aggressive behaviors, both self-directed as suicide and violent behavior towards others

Lithium is found to some extent in tomatoes, mushrooms, thyme, pistachios, egg yolks, kelp, and sardines, depending on its presence in the soil or food source. Lithium has been identified in the salt flats of Argentina and Chile as well as China.

A study in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" states that lithium may be important for early fetal development, and for the proper functioning of enzymes, hormones and vitamins. This study states that a tentative RDA is set at 1,000 mcg per day for an adult who weighs 70 kilograms, or about 154 pounds. Lithium is also used as a medication to manage bipolar disorder. It decreases abnormal brain activity, according to Medline Plus.

According to a study published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition," grains and vegetables may comprise 66 to 90 percent of a person's lithium intake. If you eat 0.85 kilograms of fruits and vegetables, the lithium level is 0.5 to 3.4 milligrams/kilograms. The study states that a diet rich in vegetables and grains may provide you with more lithium than a diet rich in animal products. However, the amount of lithium varies, depending on the amount in the soil where the plants grow.

Lithium Supplements

Lithium dietary supplements usually contain lithium orotate, a different lithium “salt” from the lithium carbonate or lithium citrate in most prescription lithium. Lithium doses in dietary supplements are much lower than in prescription lithium—usually 10mg per pill instead of 300mg or 450mg. There are some claims that lithium orotate is better absorbed or more active, so lower doses are still effective. But there is no clear evidence (no randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded trials) showing that low doses of lithium orotate are effective for treatment or long-term prevention of mood symptoms.

Still, it is possible that very low doses of lithium are helpful for some people. Lithium is a naturally occurring mineral, and trace amounts are present in the water many of us drink. And areas with more lithium in the water supply tend to have lower suicide rates! So, very tiny amounts of lithium —less than 1% of the lithium even in low-dose dietary supplements—might sometimes be helpful.

But if you are taking prescription lithium, you definitely do not want to switch to a low-dose nutritional supplement without talking with your doctor. For some people, suddenly stopping lithium or suddenly decreasing the dose can cause severe mood swings or symptoms of mania.

And you wouldn’t want to add a lithium nutritional supplement to prescription lithium. That might increase your blood level of lithium enough to cause side effects or increase your risk of long-term problems from lithium. (source)

Videos

Top foods for a Lithium Boost

Articles/Studies

• Irritability, Anger, and Rage: Copper / Lithium Deficiency Syndrome
• Lithium deficiency may be the hidden spark behind Alzheimer’s. Harvard scientists have uncovered that lithium, a naturally occurring element in the brain, may be the missing piece in understanding Alzheimer’s. Their decade-long research shows that lithium depletion—caused by amyloid plaques binding to it—triggers early brain changes that lead to memory loss.
• Lithium orotate is safe and may be helpful in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions.
• Lithium may decrease risk of developing dementia Researchers have identified a link suggesting that lithium could decrease the risk of developing dementia
• Chronic lithium administration attenuates up-regulated brain arachidonic acid metabolism in a rat model of neuroinflammation.
• Chronic low dose lithium treatment exhibits neuroprotection in transient focal cerebral ischemia.
• Lithium has a protective effect against aluminium-induced oxidative stress and histological changes in rat brain.
• Lithium may reduce aluminium-induced cytotoxic effects in the rat brain.
• Lithium treatment prevents amphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization augmented by omega-3 fatty acid deficiency.
• Lithium may have preventive protential in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Lithium has a mood-improving and stabilizing effect among former drug users.
• Astaxanthin demonstrates significant renoprotective effects against lithium-induced nephrotoxicity.
• Is Lithium a Micronutrient? From Biological Activity and Epidemiological Observation to Food Fortification