Vanadium
Summary
Vanadium has no known essential function in people. Tiny trials of vanadyl sulfate in type 2 diabetes reported lower fasting glucose (grade D), but a systematic review found no trial rigorous enough to include. A weight-training trial found no change in body composition. Trial doses far exceed the 1.8 mg/day adult upper limit, and stomach upset is common.
Key facts
- A trace element found in food at microgram levels; no essential function in humans has been established[1]
- Fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes (D, tiny uncontrolled or single-blind trials); body composition in weight training (no effect, D)[3][4][5][8]
- None of 151 studies met basic quality criteria; no rigorous evidence that vanadium improves blood sugar control[2]
- 1.8 mg/day of elemental vanadium for adults; not set for pregnancy, breastfeeding or children[1]
- Diabetes trials used 75–300 mg/day of vanadyl sulfate; the IOM puts typical diet intake at 6–18 micrograms a day[1][6]
- About 1% or less of an oral vanadyl sulfate dose is absorbed[7]
- 5 graded human outcomes on this page
- October 10, 2026
How it works
ProposedVanadate resembles phosphate and can inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatases, which may mimic or enhance insulin signalling; in small human studies vanadyl sulfate mainly reduced glucose output from the liver.[1][5][4]
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
At a glance: strongest evidence per outcome
| Outcome | Grade | Effect | Strongest evidence | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body composition | Grade D | No effect | RCT · n = 31 · 1996 | 1 row |
| Blood sugar | Grade D | Mixed | Open-label · n = 16 · 2000 | 4 rows |
Every graded row
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body composition and strength in weight training | No effect | Grade D | RCT · n = 31 · 1996 Weight-training volunteers Form: Vanadyl sulfate · Dose: 0.5 mg/kg/day · Duration: 12 weeks No effect on body measurements or body composition versus placebo. Both groups got stronger; one leg-extension result favoured vanadyl sulfate, possibly because that group started lower. | 8953340 (opens PubMed)Source [8] |
| Insulin sensitivity and blood sugar at three doses | Mixed | Grade D | Open-label trial · n = 16 · 2000 Adults with type 2 diabetes Form: Vanadyl sulfate · Dose: 75, 150 or 300 mg/day · Duration: 6 weeks No improvement at 75 mg/day. Fasting glucose and HbA1c fell at 150 and 300 mg/day, but clamp-measured insulin sensitivity improved in only some participants; the authors concluded tolerated doses do not dramatically improve glycemic control. | 10726921 (opens PubMed)Source [6] |
| Blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes | Improved | Grade D | Open-label trial · n = 11 · 2001 Adults with type 2 diabetes Form: Vanadyl sulfate · Dose: 150 mg/day · Duration: 6 weeks Fasting glucose fell from 194 to 155 mg/dL and HbA1c from 8.1% to 7.6%, with no change in body weight; total and LDL cholesterol also fell, and 24-hour blood pressure did not change. | 11238540 (opens PubMed)Source [5] |
| Fasting glucose and liver insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes | Improved | Grade D | Open-label trial · n = 8 · 1996 Adults with type 2 diabetes (4 men, 4 women) Form: Vanadyl sulfate · Dose: 50 mg twice daily · Duration: 4 weeks, then 4 weeks of placebo in 6 participants Fasting glucose fell about 20% (9.3 to 7.4 mmol/L) and liver glucose output during insulin infusion dropped; whole-body glucose uptake did not change. Six of eight had gut side effects in the first week. | 8781301 (opens PubMed)Source [4] |
| Blood sugar and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes | Improved | Grade D | Open-label trial · n = 6 · 1995 Adults with type 2 diabetes on diet and/or sulfonylureas Form: Vanadyl sulfate · Dose: 100 mg/day · Duration: 3 weeks, between two 2-week placebo periods Fasting glucose fell from 210 to 181 mg/dL and HbA1c from 9.6% to 8.8%; insulin-stimulated glucose uptake during a clamp rose by about 88%, and the effect lasted through the 2-week placebo period afterwards. | 7769096 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanadyl sulfate | 31%[1] | About 1% or less of an oral dose was absorbed, judging by urinary output at steady state.[7] | Gut side effects were common, mostly in the first week; 150–300 mg/day caused some intolerance.[4][6] | Small type 2 diabetes studies (75–300 mg/day) and a weight-training trial |
| Sodium metavanadate | Varies[1] | No human absorption data in our sources.[1] | No human tolerance data in our sources.[1] | Earlier diabetes studies at 125 mg/day, cited by the IOM |
Compound weight → elemental vanadium
500 mg vanadyl sulfate ≈ 155 mg elemental vanadium
Studied doses
Doses studied in human trials ranged from 75 to 300 mg/day of vanadyl sulfate for 3 to 6 weeks in type 2 diabetes, and 0.5 mg/kg/day for 12 weeks in weight-training adults. These amounts supply roughly 23 to 93 mg of elemental vanadium a day, far above the adult upper limit of 1.8 mg/day.[3][6][8][1]
Dose math: how much compound supplies that much vanadium
| Form (elemental %) | 100 mg vanadium100 mg/day: dose in the 1995 and 1996 diabetes studies | 150 mg vanadium150 mg/day: dose in the 2001 diabetes study |
|---|---|---|
| Vanadyl sulfate (31%) | ≈ 320 mg compound | ≈ 480 mg compound |
Interactions
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
None found in our sources.
Who should be careful
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children
- No upper limit could be set for these groups because of missing toxicity data, and the IOM says they should be particularly cautious about vanadium supplements; animal studies link vanadium to reproductive and developmental harm.[1][10]
- Kidney disease
- The adult upper limit is based on kidney effects in animals, and the IOM calls for more research on vanadium and the kidneys.[1]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
Safety
Trial doses far exceed the upper limit, and long-term safety is unknown.
- Gut effects
- Six of eight people had gut side effects in the first week of 100 mg/day; 150 and 300 mg/day caused some intolerance.[4][6]
- Blood tests
- In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial in 31 weight-training adults, blood counts, viscosity and liver and kidney tests did not change with vanadyl sulfate.[9]
- Upper limit basis
- The 1.8 mg/day adult upper limit comes from kidney effects in rats, with a large safety factor because human data are lacking.[1]
- Reproductive toxicity
- In animals, vanadate and vanadyl are reproductive and developmental toxicants at high exposures.[10]
How to read the label
- Label dose vs clinical doseDiabetes trials used 75–300 mg/day of vanadyl sulfate (about 23–93 mg of vanadium). NHANES III found a median of about 9 micrograms of vanadium a day from supplements.[6][1]
- Compound vs elementalVanadyl sulfate is about 31% vanadium by weight; the 1.8 mg/day upper limit refers to elemental vanadium.[1]
- Diabetes claimsA systematic review found no rigorous evidence that oral vanadium improves blood sugar control, and judged routine use unsupported.[2]
Cost per studied dose, without the sales pitch
Compare any product you already have by the amount it delivers, not by capsule count or front-of-pack weight.
Cost per studied dose
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Frequently asked questions
Does vanadium lower blood sugar?
In studies of 6 to 16 people with type 2 diabetes, vanadyl sulfate lowered fasting glucose, but none was a randomized placebo-controlled trial and a systematic review found no rigorous evidence.[3][5][2]
Is vanadium an essential mineral?
No essential function has been established in humans; typical diets supply about 6–18 micrograms a day.[1]
What is the upper limit for vanadium?
1.8 mg/day of elemental vanadium for adults. No limit was set for pregnancy, breastfeeding or children because data are lacking.[1]
Does vanadyl sulfate build muscle?
In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial in 31 weight-training adults, it did not change body composition.[8]
Sources
- [1]Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Chapter 13: Arsenic, Boron, Nickel, Silicon, and Vanadium. Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board (National Academies Press), 2001. guideline
- [2]A systematic review of vanadium oral supplements for glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus.. QJM, 2008. systematic-review
- [3]Oral vanadyl sulfate improves hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.. J Clin Invest, 1995. open-label
- [4]Effects of vanadyl sulfate on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.. Metabolism, 1996. open-label
- [5]Vanadyl sulfate improves hepatic and muscle insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes.. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2001. open-label
- [6]Metabolic effects of vanadyl sulfate in humans with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: in vivo and in vitro studies.. Metabolism, 2000. open-label
- [7]Coordination chemistry may explain pharmacokinetics and clinical response of vanadyl sulfate in type 2 diabetic patients.. Metallomics, 2013. PK-study
- [8]The effect of oral vanadyl sulfate on body composition and performance in weight-training athletes.. Int J Sport Nutr, 1996. RCT
- [9]Oral vanadyl sulphate does not affect blood cells, viscosity or biochemistry in humans.. Pharmacol Toxicol, 1997. RCT
- [10]Vanadium: a review of the reproductive and developmental toxicity.. Reprod Toxicol, 1996. review
What changed
- First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for the cited rows.
- Adversarial review pass: every evidence row re-read against its PubMed abstract. Official source opened before citing: IOM Dietary Reference Intakes (2001), chapter 13 (vanadium UL 1.8 mg/day, 60 mg vanadyl sulfate = 18.6 mg vanadium, diet 6–18 micrograms/day, NHANES III supplement median about 9 micrograms/day). No ODS fact sheet, NCCIH page or EMA monograph exists for vanadium (NCCIH A–Z and herbs-at-a-glance checked; NCCIH type 2 diabetes supplement page does not mention vanadium). Industry ties: none found; the 1995, 2000 and 2013 studies were NIH-funded (PubMed grants; PMC4181337 acknowledgements); the other trials list no funding or COI in PubMed and are not in PMC. A retracted rat study (35723386) surfaced in searches and was excluded. Retraction, expression-of-concern, erratum and withdrawn checks on all 9 PMIDs: none flagged. Design note: the diabetes studies were not randomized, so they are typed open-label. Page set indexable. Independent browser review (4 parallel reviewers, every evidence row checked against its abstract and official sources on the Vercel preview) found: no issues (all 5 rows and the IOM UL figures verified).