Abstract
Deficiency of several essential nutrients, namely vitamins and essential elements, has been shown to exacerbate the toxic effects of metals, and supplementation of such nutrients ameliorates the toxicity. It is important to evaluate the present levels of metal exposure and the quantities of dietary nutrient supplements that might either augment or protect against the adverse effects of the metals, so that multifaceted components contributing to safety can be incorporated into regulatory decisions. In addition to the role of micronutrients in modifying metal toxicity, these nutritional components (vitamins, essential metals, etc.) can also act as complementary chelating agents (adjuvants) increasing the efficacy of a known chelator, or by acting independently. This article summarizes the major experimental work carried out on the influence of various nutritional factors on metal toxicity and discusses future research.