Molybdenum

What does it do?

Molybdenum is a mineral that serves as a part of several key enzymes that help the body use carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

What are the best food sources?

Major food sources of molybdenum include legumes, grain products and nuts. Fruits, many vegetables and most animal products are usually low in molybdenum.

What are some recipes that are good sources of molybdenum?

What happens if you don’t get enough?

It’s not likely you’ll need to worry about whether you are getting enough of this mineral. Deficiency has not been observed in healthy people.

What happens if you get too much?

Harmful effects from too much molybdenum are quite uncommon. This could be because the mineral is rapidly excreted when consumed at high levels. Because so few cases have been reported, it’s hard for scientists to identify harmful effects and their symptoms. Still, stay within the recommended intakes.

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.	2* micrograms/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.	3* micrograms/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.	17 micrograms/day	300 micrograms/day
Children	4-8 yr.	22 micrograms/day	600 micrograms/day
Males	9-13 yr.	34 micrograms/day	1100 micrograms/day
Males	14-18 yr.	43 micrograms/day	1700 micrograms/day
Males	19-30 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Males	31-50 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Males	51-70 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Males	> 70 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Females	9-13 yr.	34 micrograms/day	1100 micrograms/day
Females	14-18 yr.	43 micrograms/day	1700 micrograms/day
Females	19-30 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Females	31-50 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Females	51-70 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Females	51-70 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Females	> 70 yr.	45 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Pregnancy	< 18 yr.	50 micrograms/day	1700 micrograms/day
Pregnancy	19-30 yr.	50 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Lactation	< 18 yr.	50 micrograms/day	1700 micrograms/day
Lactation	19-30 yr.	50 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/day
Lactation	31-50 yr.	50 micrograms/day	2000 micrograms/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.