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Part 2 - Can Tin Prevent Falling Asleep at the Wheel?
- (Continued from Part 1 of 3)
To study the effects of tin supplementation, one needs to be able to
provide a specific dose of tin, and that requires the use of a very
accurate scale. First of all, how much tin should I take daily? A normal
diet provides 1-3 mg tin daily, IF completely absorbed. To make up for
malabsorption, it seems reasonable to take an amount 5-10 times greater
than the normal diet would provide, or not much more than 25 mg maximum.
For comparison, the recommended daily dose of zinc is 15 mg for adults. I
decided to take between 30-40 mg of stannous chloride dihydrate, dissolved
in an 8 oz glass of water, providing 16-21 mg of tin daily. So I would
need a scale capable of measuring to within no more than a few milligrams
accuracy. Such scales can be very expensive. I found the ideal scale at a
relatively modest cost of $136 including shipping, the "MY WEIGH Gempro
50", a small battery operated digital pocket scale capable of weighing up
to 10 grams to an accuracy of +/- 2 milligrams. My Gempro 50 scale was
received in the mail only 5 days after placing my internet order from
Precision Weighing Balances:
http://balance.balances.com/scales/870
Safety recommendations for handling stannous chloride include gloves, eye
protection, protective clothing, and a ventilated work area. But for
the small amount being used for supplementation purposes, the main thing is
to avoid skin and eye contact, do not sniff the bottle, work over paper
towels or a plastic basin to contain possible spills, and do not have
children or pets running around or other distractions while handling it. A
small spatula/microspoon can be obtained from a laboratory supply company
to transfer the crystals from the bottle to a small piece of aluminum foil
placed atop the weighing scale platform, then dumped from the foil into a
beverage. I use a small scoop fashioned from the bottom of a tin can and
inserted in place of the blade in an X-acto knife handle.
Material Safety Data Sheet - Tin (II) Chloride Dihydrate
https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/21850.htm
I began my tin supplementation on July 24, 2004, a Saturday, taking my
doses just prior to my evening meals. 30-40 mg of stannous chloride is
about the size of a grain or two of coarse sand. With slight agitation,
that tiny amount readily dissolves in a glass of water to form a milky
white, slightly metallic, almost tasteless, solution. The effects of tin
were not predictable. I hoped to see an increase in energy over time.
Episodes of drowsiness while driving to work during the prior week had been
particularly bad and seemed to be getting worse. It was exceptionally bad
that last Friday morning making me quite concerned for my safety.
As of Monday morning, I noticed no changes in my mood or energy and no side
effects from tin. However, I noticed absolutely no drowsiness driving to
work that morning. I passed this off as being the result of a weekend of
rest, and was relieved the bad experience driving to work the Friday before
did not repeat itself. At that time, I did not attribute the absence of
drowsiness to tin supplementation. I was still hoping to feel a general
increase in energy.
As the days passed, I observed essentially no effects from tin. No mood
change, no increase in energy, no side effects or gastric upset. Maybe
just a slight improvement in bowel movement due to the antimicrobial effect
of stannous chloride. I observed, first-hand, the antimicrobial effect of
stannous chloride on the surface of my water glass. The residue of
stannous chloride remaining on the glass surface from solution completely
inhibited the usual formation of a reddish brown film resulting from
bacteria present in my well water.
Also as the days passed, I began to realize I had not experienced a single
repeat episode of drowsiness at the wheel since the start of tin
supplementation... not one single instance. It finally dawned on me that
while my energy level had not increased, my drowsiness at the wheel had
completely disappeared... a drowsiness that had become an almost daily
event over the last few years had completely and suddenly stopped! All
quite naturally, without use of stimulants, without side effects... I
simply no longer felt drowsy behind the wheel. To this day I continue tin
supplementation, and I continue to experience the total absence of any
instance of drowsiness at the wheel. Is this due to tin supplementation?
Unfortunately, the anecdotal experience of a single individual cannot
conclusively and scientifically prove a specific effect is the result of a
mineral supplement. A controlled study involving many participants is
necessary to draw tenable conclusions. However, I prepare all my meals. I
do not eat out. My menu does not change. My supplements do not change. I
carefully observe and note all changes in my mood and health. The onset of
the absence of drowsiness began 2 days after the start of tin
supplementation on the Monday following a week of especially bad episodes
of increasingly intense drowsiness at the wheel. Other than a very
unlikely coincidence that my drowsiness would unexpectedly cease at that
moment for no apparent reason, I can only conclude that tin supplementation
is responsible for my sudden absence of drowsiness.
I have searched the web to try to find some explanation as to why tin has
this effect on my drowsiness and what part of human physiology might be
involved. Science does not fully understand the nature and mechanism of
sleep. The circadian clock, the 24-hour internal timer located in the
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus in the brain, is at the
center of it all. I am unable to speculate on the role tin may have in the
chemistry of the hormones, enzymes and other proteins involved in sleep and
brain function. This is a subject for research. Instead, I will just give
this NIH link to an excellent overview of sleep:
Information about Sleep
http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/guide/info-sleep.htm
Is tin an essential trace element? If tin can prevent serious traffic
accidents or fatalities by preventing tin deficient drivers from falling
asleep at the wheel, that would certainly make tin a potentially lifesaving
and important element. My experience provides the basis and justification
for further study on whether tin supplementation can prevent episodes of
daytime drowsiness in other indiviuduals with low levels of tin who have no
other apparent sleep disorders.
I have mentioned the possible role of tin in the function of the thymus
gland and immune system. The thymus gland also produces hormones. Tin's
effect on my drowsiness may indicate tin has a place in the chemistry of
hormones and other proteins. Tin might have a role in the function of
other endrocine glands, the adrenals, the pituitary, the hypothalamus,
etc., which all produce hormones affecting brain function, sexual function,
immune function, and metabolism. Unlike the obvious effect tin has in
preventing my drowsiness, whether tin might prevent an infectious illness
from occurring cannot be directly determined because there is no way to
know if the illness would have occurred without tin. Only a controlled
study of a large population can show if tin supplementation reduces the
occurrance of illness in tin deficient subjects when compared to tin
deficient subjects not receiving tin. If tin is an essential element, we
need to know, and we need to have tin supplements available.
I intend to continue my tin supplementation and continue my observations,
hoping that additional benefits and health improvements will come from long
term supplementation. Not having to worry about falling asleep at the
wheel is reason enough alone for me to continue taking tin.
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REFERENCES:
[1] Biol Trace Elem Res. 1990 Mar;24(3):223-31
Effect of dietary tin deficiency on growth and mineral status in rats.
Yokoi K, Kimura M, Itokawa Y.
Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
To clarify the influence of dietary tin deficiency on growth and mineral
status, the following two different synthetic diets were fed to male Wistar
rats: group 1--a diet containing 1.99 micrograms tin/g; group 2--a diet
containing 17 ng tin/g. The rats in group 2 showed poor growth, lowered
response to sound, and alopecia, with decreased food efficiency compared
with rats in group 1. The changes of mineral concentrations in tissues
observed in group 2, compared with group 1, are summarized as follows:
calcium concentration in lung increased; magnesium concentration in lung
decreased; iron concentrations in spleen and kidney increased; iron
concentration in femoral muscle decreased; zinc concentration in heart
decreased; copper concentrations in heart and tibia decreased; manganese
concentrations in femoral muscle and tibia decreased. These results suggest
that tin may be essential for rat growth.
PMID: 1702675 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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(Continued in Part 3 of 3)
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