Manganese

What does it do?

Manganese is involved in the formation of bone and is a component of many enzymes that play important roles in protein, cholesterol and carbohydrate metabolism.

What are the best food sources?

Whole grains contribute the most manganese to U.S. diets, followed by tea. One cup of green tea contains about 0.41-1.58 milligrams of manganese and one cup of black tea contains about 0.18-0.77 milligrams. Some fruits and vegetables, including pineapple, beans, spinach and sweet potatoes, are also good sources.

What are some recipes that are good sources of manganese?

What happens if you don’t get enough?

Since manganese is so widely distributed in the food system, cases of deficiency due to poor dietary intakes have not been reported in humans. In human studies where manganese depletion has been induced, subjects developed skin rashes and abnormally low blood cholesterol levels.

What happens if you get too much?

Manganese toxicity from foods has not been reported in humans. Toxic levels of manganese are a well-recognized hazard for people employed in industrial jobs where manganese dust may be inhaled. This can cause nervous-system effects that mimic Parkinson’s disease, including tremors, difficulty walking and facial spasms.

How much do you need?

The following table lists the recommended intake for healthy people based on current scientific information.

Life Stage Group	Age Range	Recommended Dietary Allowance/Adequate Intake	Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
Infants	0-6 mo.	0.003* milligrams/day	Not determinable for infants due to lack of data on adverse effects in this age group and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Infants	7-12 mo.	0.6* milligrams/day	Not determinable for infants due to lack of data on adverse effects in this age group and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Children	1-3 yr.	1.2* milligrams/day	2 milligrams/day
Children	4-8 yr.	1.5* milligrams/day	3 milligrams/day
Males	9-13 yr.	1.9* milligrams/day	6 milligrams/day
Males	14-18 yr.	2.2* milligrams/day	9 milligrams/day
Males	19-30 yr.	2.3* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Males	31-50 yr.	2.3* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Males	51-70 yr.	2.3* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Males	> 70 yr.	2.3* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Females	9-13 yr.	1.6* milligrams/day	6 milligrams/day
Females	14-18 yr.	1.6* milligrams/day	9 milligrams/day
Females	19-30 yr.	1.8* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Females	31-50 yr.	1.8* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Females	51-70 yr.	1.8* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Females	> 70 yr.	1.8* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Pregnancy	< 18 yr.	2* milligrams/day	9 milligrams/day
Pregnancy	19-30 yr.	2* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Pregnancy	31-50 yr.	2* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Lactation	< 18 yr.	2.6* milligrams/day	9 milligrams/day
Lactation	19-30 yr.	2.6* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day
Lactation	31-50 yr.	2.6* milligrams/day	11 milligrams/day

NOTE: The table is adapted from the Dietary Reference Intakes reports. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), when available, are in bold type; Adequate Intakes (AIs) are followed by an asterisk(*). RDAs and AIs may both be used as goals for individual intake. RDAs are set to meet the needs of almost all individuals (97 to 98 percent) in a group. For healthy breastfed infants, the AI is the mean intake. The AI for other life stage and gender groups is believed to cover the needs of all individuals in the group, but lack of data means the percentage of individuals covered by this intake cannot be specified with confidence.
Values in parentheses, marked with a double asterisk (**) represent the RDA/AI in micrograms.
UL = The maximum level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water and supplements.