Abstract
To the Editor: The essentiality of manganese has been recognized for over 50 years, and it is known to be necessary for reproduction, fetal development, skeletal growth, and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. In addition, it has been suggested that low manganese status in human beings may be related to some disease states, including diabetes and epilepsy.1 , 2 The lack of a practical method for assessing manganese status has limited research in this area.To investigate the use of whole-blood manganese as an indicator of total body manganese, we measured manganese in whole blood as well as in tissues of rats fed . . .