Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 1.3
The structure of Silwet L-77 [
45
]
make use of this readily available resource in its many organisms. Also, the bio-
compatibility of silicone polymer systems makes them ideal choices for various
biomedical applications [
3
].
1.3.2.1
Silicon in Food and in the Human Body
A number of reports in the literature have examined the silicon content of a vari-
ety of foodstuffs ranging from instant food products to fresh fruits and vegetables
[
48
-
50
].
Quite obviously from the data presented in Table
1.2
, silicon is present in a wide
variety of prepared and fresh food and drinks. However, in spite of its ubiquitous
presence in the human diet, not all of the silicon is necessarily available to us. For
instance, a study by Robberecht et al. of Belgian foodstuffs reported that although
whole rice has a silicon content of 162.0 mg/kg, only 7.6 ± 1.3 % of that silicon
is available. Conversely, chicken breasts were found to have a silicon content of
only 1.09 mg/kg, and of that amount 40 ± 4 % of the silicon was bioavailable [
49
].
It would appear that there is a great deal of variation not only between the silicon
content of various foodstuffs, although perhaps not surprisingly plant-derived foods
tend to have higher silicon contents, but also in the bioavailability of the silicon that
foods do contain.
It stands to reason that if silicon is so prevalent in our food that it is likely to
play a role in human physiology (and that of other vertebrates [
51
,
52
]). In fact
silicon has been shown to be a necessary component of bone growth and cartilage
formation and may be a component of the system needed for the crosslinking of
connective tissue [
53
-
57
]. In fact, one study suggests that beer may be a major
contributor to silicon levels in the bodies of those who consume the beverage [
58
].
Analysis demonstrated that
in vivo
silicon concentrations increased by as much as
713 ± 121 μg/L in subjects 1.5 h following the consumption of beer.
