Benefits of Silica

Evidence-Based Benefits

• Skin health — Barel et al. (2005, n=50, RCT) found choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA) at 10mg daily for 20 weeks significantly improved skin elasticity and reduced wrinkle depth compared to placebo
• Hair and nail quality — the same Barel et al. study showed ch-OSA significantly reduced hair brittleness and improved nail hardness after 20 weeks of supplementation
• Bone density — the Framingham Offspring cohort (Jugdaohsingh et al., 2004, n=2,847) found that higher dietary silicon intake was associated with significantly higher bone mineral density at the hip, particularly in premenopausal women
• Collagen synthesis — silicon is involved in the hydroxylation of proline, a key step in collagen cross-linking and maturation; it activates prolyl hydroxylase enzymes
• Arterial health — silicon is found in high concentrations in arterial walls and may help maintain vascular elasticity with aging

What the Research Says

Silicon/silica research for supplementation is still emerging. The strongest evidence comes from the Barel et al. (2005) double-blind RCT showing ch-OSA improved skin, hair, and nails over 20 weeks. Epidemiological data is supportive: the Framingham Offspring study (Jugdaohsingh et al., 2004, n=2,847) found a strong positive association between dietary silicon intake and bone mineral density, with the highest silicon quartile having significantly higher hip BMD than the lowest. However, interventional trials on bone density are limited. Reffitt et al. (2003) showed orthosilicic acid stimulated collagen type I synthesis in human osteoblasts in vitro, providing mechanistic support.

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