Cobalt

Why cobalt is good for you

Cobalt is an essential trace mineral that is a constituent of vitamin B12. Cobalt is a necessary cofactor for making the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Cobalt also aids in forming haemoglobin ( and healthy red blood cells).

Important cobalt facts

• Cobalt is a part of the vitamin B12 molecule
• The liver stores most of the body’s cobalt
• It’s required for folate and fatty acid metabolism
• Some athletes use cobalt to enhance performance by increasing aerobic fitness as it seems to help enhance cell respiration

Cobalt works best with

• folic acid
• vitamin B12

Cobalt and health

• Cobalt is necessary for the health of the thyroid
  Cobalt is very necessary for the health of the thyroid as it is a necessary co-factor for making the thyroid hormone thyroxine. The thyroid, through thyroxine regulates metabolism – the rate at which fats and carbohydrates are used for energy.
• Cobalt is important for healthy red blood cells
  Cobalt is needed to ensure the red blood cells are healthy (for much the same reason that vitamin B12 is required for healthy red blood cells) – it helps to create properly formed and sufficient amounts of haemoglobin, which is needed to carry oxygen to all the cells in the body.
• Cobalt is involved in enzyme reactions
  Cobalt, much in the same way as vitamin B12 (cobalamin), is involved in a variety of enzyme reactions to enable various body processes.
• Cobalt is needed for nerve health
  Cobalt is needed to help make the protective insulating material (myelin sheath) that protects the nervous tissues and helps with the rapid and proper relay of messages through the nervous tissues.
• Anaemia
  Some research shows that cobalt may help to treat anaemia that does not respond to other treatment

People who wish to take a cobalt supplement should talk to a medical professional before taking it.

Groups at risk of cobalt deficiency

There has never been a reported case of cobalt deficiency, as so little of it is required in the diet.

The only people who could be at risk of deficiency:

• Strict vegetarians or vegans
  Meats and meat products are the only foods with high levels of cobalt, with plant foods having lower levels of cobalt. This means that some people who are on a strict vegetarian or vegan diet could become deficient in cobalt if they do not get sufficient amounts of both cobalt and vitamin B12 (cobalamin) from the plant foods in their diet.
• People with eating disorders
  People with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia are either not consuming enough food in the first place, or the food they are consuming is being expelled too quickly after meals through induced vomiting so the nutrients (including cobalt) are not being absorbed.
• People with recent severe burns or injuries
  People who have recently experienced severe burns or major injuries to their body may need be deficient in cobalt (and vitamin B12) because their body is using up much of it to help heal the wounds sustained in the burns or injuries. The injuries are in need of more oxygen supply and platelets (to help clot the blood and stimulate healing) and all the reserves of cobalt are used up to make more vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and more may be required to aid in quicker healing.

People in these groups at risk of deficiency who wish to take a cobalt supplement should talk to a medical professional before taking it.

While cobalt is necessary for optimal health, there have never been any cobalt deficiencies reported

Symptoms of cobalt deficiency

Cobalt is necessary to make vitamin B12. A deficiency of cobalt may lead to a deficiency of vitamin B12 and lead to pernicious anaemia.

Symptoms of pernicious anaemia:

• appetite loss
• bleeding gums
• balance problems
• confusion, headache and poor memory
• headache
• nausea
• pale gums, lips, tongue
• sore tongue
• weight loss
• weakness and tingling in the arms and legs

Cobalt in food

Cobalt is found predominantly in:

• Clams
• Fish
• Leafy green vegetables
• Liver
• Milk
• Nuts
• Oysters
• Red meat

Some beers contain high levels of cobalt.

Cobalt recommended daily intake (RDI)

The tolerable upper limits should only be taken for short periods and only under medical supervision.

Cobalt toxicity 

Cobalt is toxic at doses greater than 20-30mg per day.

Acute cobalt toxicity

Symptoms of cobalt toxicity include):

• Enlarged heart
• Enlarged thyroid gland
• Polycythemia – too many red blood cells

People who experience any of the above toxicity symptoms should discontinue their cobalt supplements immediately and call their doctor for advice.

Chronic cobalt toxicity

Cobalt intake over the recommended daily intake can produce the following, short-term symptoms:

• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• skin rashes
• hot flushes

Overdosage and toxicity is more likely to occur from taking too many supplements, whereas dietary intake of cobalt is highly unlikely to cause overdosage

Precautions

• High doses of cobalt interferes with iodine uptake and this can result in goitre and hypothyroidism
• Ingestion of cobalt powder on a regular basis can cause pneumonociosis – a lung condition
• Dermatitis has been reported on contact with cobalt
• High amounts of cobalt for long periods of time could adversely affect the heart and might decrease fertility in men

Cobalt’s interactions on medications and supplements

The following are the medications that are more likely to cause a reaction with cobalt supplements:

• Colchicine (acute gouty arthritis medication)
• Neomycin (antibiotic medication)
• Para-aminosalicylic acid (tuberculosis medication)
• Phenytoin (anticonvulsant medication)

Other interactions with cobalt

Some beer contains cobalt as a stabiliser, which means some people that drink large amounts of these beers may develop cobalt toxicity symptoms, including heart disease and congestive heart failure.

Cobalt’s effect on lab tests

Cobalt supplementation may cause inaccurate lab results (false negative) for blood levels or cause deficient absorption of cobalt or vitamin B12 (cobalamin) if taken at the same time as any of the medications listed above.

References

• Griffith, HW. Minerals, Supplements and Vitamins – the Essential Guide. 2000 Fisher Books
• Osiecki, H. The Nutrient Bible. Bio-Concepts Publishing QLD, 2002
• Whitney EN, Cataldo DB, Rolfes SR. Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition, 6th Edition. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002

Last updated: 6 May 2024