Niedobór krzemu to ściema marketingowa? Sprawdźmy fakty
Silicon is a dominant element in the Earth's crust, but its bioavailability varies greatly depending on the source. Plants like horsetail contain silicon in forms with low absorption rates, yielding only about 320 mg of usable silicon per kilogram of dried plant. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding silicon forms for effective supplementation.
Key points
Detailed summary
Introduction
The video introduces the topic of silicon, a metalloid that is neither a classic metal nor non-metal. It is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust after oxygen, making up 27.7% of minerals. Combined with oxygen, silicon forms compounds that constitute 96-98% of the crust, indicating its dominance. The speaker, Krystian Pierała, a veterinarian with 19 years of experience, aims to address whether silicon deficiencies are real or just marketing hype.
Sources of Silicon
Silicon can be obtained from three main sources: minerals (rocks), plants, and liquid forms. Among plants, horsetail (skrzyp polny) is highlighted as a popular source in Poland, along with bamboo and rice. The speaker emphasizes that the silicon content in plants varies, and the bioavailability of that silicon is crucial.
Silicon Content in Horsetail
Horsetail contains between 1% and 8% silicon by dry weight, with an average around 4%. When 1 kg of fresh horsetail is dried, it yields about 150-250 g of plant material. The speaker chooses 4% as a fair average for silicon content.
Forms of Silicon in Plants
Silicon in plants exists in several forms: phytoliths (silica structures formed from orthosilicic acid), amorphous and crystalline silica, silicon dioxide, and hydrated silica. Phytoliths have low bioavailability (up to 8%, typically 4%). Amorphous silica is more bioavailable than crystalline due to its disordered structure. Silicon dioxide has very low absorption (1-2%). Hydrated silica has higher bioavailability than anhydrous forms.
Bioavailability Calculation
From 1 kg of dried horsetail with 4% silicon content and an average bioavailability of 4%, the body would absorb approximately 320 mg of silicon. This calculation assumes optimal conditions and may be an overestimate. The speaker notes that common dietary plants like oats have lower silicon content (1.5% in dry mass) and are often consumed without their silicon-rich husks.
Conclusion
The speaker concludes that typical diets may not provide sufficient bioavailable silicon, as we rarely consume plants like horsetail or the husks of rice and oats. He encourages viewers to learn more about silicon forms with higher bioavailability and its role in the body by visiting the link in the description, specifically krzemorganiczny.pl. The video ends with an invitation to future episodes.
Transcript
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