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Vanadium

Supplement trace mineral general nutritionfitness
Aka: vanadyl sulfate
Brands seen in Singapore: Source Naturals, Natural Factors, Swanson Vitamins, Nutricost, Life Extension
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
No proven use — insulin-like claims have not held up
Pros & cons
Pros
    Cons
    • Review: no rigorous evidence for glucose control
    • ISSN lists vanadyl sulfate under little-to-no evidence
    • Gastrointestinal side effects were common in trials
    Sources
    1. Smith, Pickering & Lewith — A systematic review of vanadium oral supplements for glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (QJM 2008;101:351-8) · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “There is no rigorous evidence that oral vanadium supplementation improves glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. The routine use of vanadium for this purpose cannot be recommended.”
    2. Smith et al. 2008 (QJM) — results, doses studied and tolerability · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “One hundred and fifty one studies were found but none met the inclusion criteria … clinical trials of 30-150 mg daily oral vanadium supplementation in diabetic humans. Only five were identified … Treatment with vanadium often results in gastrointestinal side-effects.”
    3. Kerksick et al. — ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations (JISSN 2018), minerals summary · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “there is little evidence that boron, chromium, magnesium, or vanadium affect exercise capacity or training adaptations in healthy individuals eating a normal diet”
    4. Kerksick et al. 2018 (JISSN) — vanadyl sulfate section · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “no studies are available that support the ability of vanadyl sulfate supplementation to impact strength or muscle mass in non-diabetic individuals who are currently resistance training”
    5. Kerksick et al. 2018 (JISSN) — Table 3, categorisation of muscle-building supplements · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “III. Little to No Evidence to Support Efficacy and/or Safety … • Tribulus terrestris • Vanadyl sulfate • Zinc-magnesium aspartate”
    6. Williams — Dietary Supplements and Sports Performance: Minerals (JISSN 2005;2:43-9) · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “the limited data available do not support an anabolic effect of vanadium in young healthy individuals”
    7. NASEM Food and Nutrition Board — Dietary Reference Intakes: Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, Elements (reprinted in Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium, 2019, Appendix J) · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “Vanadium (mg/d) … 19–30 y 1.8 … 31–50 y 1.8 … 51–70 y 1.8 … > 70 y 1.8”
    8. NASEM — DRI Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, Elements, footnote d (vanadium) · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “there is no justification for adding vanadium to food and vanadium supplements should be used with caution. The UL is based on adverse effects in laboratory animals”
    9. HSA Singapore — Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in HS and TM, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. 001 (Oct 2025), clauses 3.1–3.2; vanadium appears in neither Annex A nor Annex B, and is absent from Table 5 of the Health Supplements Guidelines · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “A list of these substances which TM and HS should not contain except subject to such restrictions and conditions to ensure safety in Singapore is provided in Annex A. This list is not exhaustive.”
    10. iHerb Singapore — Vanadium category page, default “Featured” order, 9 results (brands from positions 1–8) · read 2026-08-27
      what it says
      “Source Naturals, Vanadium with Chromium, 90 Tablets … Natural Factors, Chromium & Vanadium … Source Naturals, Vanadyl Sulfate, 10 mg … Swanson Vitamins, Albion Vanadium & Chromium … Nutricost, Vanadium … Life Extension, Vanadyl Sulfate”
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    Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.