What Is Nickel & What Foods Can I Find It In?

Nickel is a metal found naturally in both food and water. The largest source of nickel exposure for us is through consumption.

Nickel is an ultratrace mineral. We know that nickel plays an important role in the biology of some plants, eubacteria, archaebacteria, and fungi.

Research has not confirmed that nickel is essential for us. But there is a possibility that nickel is an essential nutrient for some bacteria we have in our large intestine.

Table of Contents

Nickel Is A Ultra Trace Element

Nickel is a very common trace element that is found in soil, water, air, and the biosphere. (source )

Nickel is present in many dietary items and foods.

Food is the major source of nickel exposure for most people. (source )

Nickel In Foods

The major dietary source of nickel is plant food.

Plant tissues contain more nickel than animal tissues.

Therefore, the total dietary intake of nickel per day varies depending on the amount of consumption of plant and animal foods. (source )

Nickel In The Food Industry

The food industry is interested in understanding the factors that affect the distribution and accumulation of nickel in food.

Understanding these factors will help to optimize the nickel levels that are ingested by consumers.

The Effects Of Nickel On Health

There is a considerable amount of published literature relating to the effects of nickel on health.

Nickel has been shown to cause a number of pathological conditions, and it has been suggested that nickel plays a role in the cause of asthma, allergies, and the development of diabetes.

The most important effect of nickel on the body is its effect on the skin. Nickel is known to have the ability to cause a pigmentation condition called erythrasma.

Erythrasma is a skin infection that causes brown, scaly skin patches.

Nickel Allergy

Nickel is the most common cause of metal allergies. It can lead to a nickel-sensitive person developing dermatitis. (source )

Nickel allergy may develop at any age. Once developed, it tends to persist through out your life. (source )

Foods You Can Find Nickel In

You find Nickel, Ni mostly in legume products.

Examples of food sources include

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated, top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most Nickel, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Nickel, Ni.

Sara Niemelä

co-founder Care Omnia, Head Content Creator

Author Image of Sara Niemelä

Nutrition is my passion. I've spent thousands upon thousands of hours reading, analyzing, categorizing and comparing research studies.

I’m a wife and a mother of three. I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, and spending time with my family.