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Molybdenum Side Effects & Safety

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement. Full disclaimer

Safety Profile

Overall safety rating: Generally Safe

Potential Side Effects

  • Very well-tolerated at typical supplement doses
  • Gout-like symptoms at very high doses (molybdenum increases uric acid production via xanthine oxidase)
  • Copper depletion theoretically possible at very high chronic doses
  • Joint pain and swelling at doses >10mg/day in animal studies

Drug & Supplement Interactions

  • High-dose molybdenum may increase copper excretion — similar to zinc-copper antagonism
  • May affect the metabolism of acetaminophen via aldehyde oxidase pathway
  • High sulfate intake may reduce molybdenum absorption

Maximum Dose

Do not exceed: 2,000mcg/day (NIH UL); well-tolerated up to this level in healthy adults

Full Molybdenum Guide

References

  1. (). Molybdenum absorption, excretion, and retention studied with stable isotopes in young men at five intakes of dietary molybdenum. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. DOI
  2. (). Molybdenum cofactors, enzymes and pathways. Nature. DOI
  3. (). Molybdenum. Advances in Nutrition. DOI