Dietary Silicon: Unlocking Health Benefits and How to increase silicone in your diet?

October 24, 2025 •

3 min read

Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, yet its nutritional importance is often overlooked. When people search for "How to increase silicone in your diet?", they are often confusing 'silicone', a synthetic polymer, with 'silicon', the essential trace mineral found in many plant-based foods that offers genuine health benefits. This guide clarifies the distinction and provides actionable steps to boost your silicon intake naturally.

Quick Summary

This guide explains the difference between the trace mineral silicon and the synthetic polymer silicone, detailing the benefits of dietary silicon for bone, connective tissue, and skin health. It provides a comprehensive list of bioavailable food sources and offers practical dietary advice for increasing intake.

Key Points

Silicon vs. Silicone: Understand the difference between natural dietary 'silicon' and the synthetic material 'silicone' to avoid confusion.
Supports Bone Health: Dietary silicon is crucial for bone formation and mineralization, contributing to increased bone mineral density.
Promotes Skin, Hair, and Nail Health: As a component of collagen, silicon improves skin elasticity and strengthens hair and nails.
Choose Bioavailable Sources: Focus on foods with high silicon bioavailability like whole grains and specific vegetables for better absorption.
Consider Food Processing: Unrefined whole grains and less processed foods typically retain more silicon than their refined counterparts.
Supplements Vary in Efficacy: Different silicon supplements, such as choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid, have varying absorption rates and should be chosen carefully.

Silicon vs. Silicone: A Critical Distinction

First, it's essential to clarify the difference between the mineral silicon and the synthetic material silicone. Silicon (Si) is a naturally occurring element found in foods, water, and soil, while silicone is a man-made polymer containing silicon, oxygen, and other elements, used for everything from medical implants to cookware. There is no dietary benefit to consuming silicone; our focus is on increasing natural dietary silicon.

The Health Benefits of Dietary Silicon

Research shows that silicon plays an essential role in human health, particularly for connective tissues.

Bone Health: Along with calcium and vitamin D, silicon is vital for optimal bone health. It aids in bone formation by improving the quality of the bone matrix and facilitating mineralization, which increases bone mineral density and strength. Studies have shown a positive correlation between higher silicon intake and stronger bones in certain populations.
Skin, Hair, and Nails: As a key component of collagen synthesis, silicon is critical for maintaining the structural integrity and elasticity of the skin. Higher silicon levels are associated with stronger, more lustrous hair and less brittleness in nails.
Cardiovascular Support: Silicon contributes to the structural integrity and elasticity of arterial walls, potentially benefiting cardiovascular health.

Bioavailability Matters: Absorbing Silicon from Food

Not all silicon sources are absorbed equally by the body. The most bioavailable form, orthosilicic acid (OSA), is water-soluble and easily absorbed. However, silicon can polymerize into less absorbable forms during processing or as a natural feature of the food itself.

Whole Grains: Unrefined grains retain their outer layers and husks, which are rich in silicon. Oats, barley, and rice bran are particularly good sources.
Vegetables: Many vegetables incorporate silicon into their cell walls for structure. Excellent sources include green beans, leafy greens like spinach, and root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and beets.
Fruits: Some fruits contain notable amounts of silicon. Bananas and dried fruits like raisins are good options, though the silicon in bananas is known to be less bioavailable.
Beverages: Beer, due to its barley and hop content, is surprisingly rich in bioavailable orthosilicic acid. Mineral water can also be a significant source, with levels varying depending on the geological source.

Practical Tips for Increasing Your Dietary Silicon

Prioritize Whole Grains: Opt for oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and other whole-grain products instead of refined versions. Consider adding oat bran to your smoothies or breakfast cereals.
Eat More Green Vegetables: Incorporate green beans and spinach into your daily meals. For example, add spinach to salads, soups, or stir-fries.
Choose Silicon-Rich Fruits: While bananas contain silicon, focus on other fruits like apples and dried fruits for more consistent intake.
Drink Mineral Water: Check the mineral content label on bottled water, as some brands are significantly higher in dissolved silicon.
Herbal Infusions: Horsetail is one of the richest plant sources of silica and is commonly consumed as a herbal tea or supplement.

Dietary Silicon vs. Supplementation

For most healthy individuals, a varied diet rich in plant-based foods should provide sufficient silicon. However, some may choose supplementation. Supplements typically offer orthosilicic acid (OSA), often stabilized with choline (ch-OSA) or a methyl group (MMST), to improve absorption. Plant-based extracts, like those from horsetail, are also available.


Feature	Dietary Silicon (Food Sources)	Silicon Supplements
Source	Naturally occurring in plants, water	Isolated or stabilized forms (e.g., ch-OSA, MMST)
Bioavailability	Varies greatly; whole grains, beer are good; some fruits like bananas are poor	Designed for high bioavailability, especially stabilized forms
Context	Part of a whole food matrix, includes other nutrients	Concentrated, isolated form of the mineral
Safety	Considered very safe at normal intake levels	Generally safe but requires more research; regulatory oversight varies

Conclusion

While the search query "How to increase silicone in your diet?" is based on a fundamental misunderstanding, it points to a valid nutritional goal: increasing dietary silicon intake for enhanced health. By focusing on whole, unprocessed foods like oats, green beans, and other plant-based sources, you can naturally boost your silicon levels. Supplementation can be an option, but dietary sources provide the mineral within a healthy food matrix. As with any nutritional change, it's wise to consult a healthcare professional to ensure it aligns with your overall health needs. For more details on the role of silicon in human health, explore the research available on academic databases.

Exploring the Role of Silicon in the Human Body on the NIH Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Silicon is a natural trace mineral found in the earth's crust and in many foods, while silicone is a man-made polymer, or type of plastic, and is not for dietary consumption.

Excellent food sources of dietary silicon include whole grains (especially oats and barley), fruits like bananas and dried fruits, vegetables such as green beans, leafy greens, and root vegetables, as well as beer and mineral water.

No, the bioavailability of silicon varies depending on its chemical form in the food. The best-absorbed form is orthosilicic acid found in beverages like beer and some waters, whereas the highly polymerized silicon in bananas is poorly absorbed.

Yes, silicon is involved in the synthesis of collagen, which is a building block for healthy hair, skin, and nails. Higher silicon levels are associated with less hair loss and stronger nails.

Refined and processed foods often contain significantly less silicon than whole, unprocessed versions because the mineral is concentrated in the husks and outer layers of grains, which are removed during processing.

Supplements with higher bioavailability include stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA) and monomethylsilanetriol (MMST). Extracts from plants like horsetail are also available but may have varying absorption rates.

The body excretes excess water-soluble silicon fairly quickly. Oral toxicity from silicon is unlikely in healthy individuals, and safety studies have shown minimal adverse effects at normal dietary and supplement intake levels.