How Much Gold is Found in the Human Body?

The idea of gold in the human body may sound surprising, yet this precious metal is indeed present in trace amounts within each of us. Although gold is found in minuscule quantities, its role in biological processes and its symbolic allure have fascinated scientists and the public alike.

The amount of gold in a single human body

According to the technical treatise, The Elements Third Edition, written by John Emsley and published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford in 1998, the average person's body weighing 70 kilograms would contain a total mass of 0.2 milligrams of gold. The volume of this gold in purified form would be 10 nanoliters. If this refined gold were formed into a solid cube of purified gold, the measurement of each side of the cube would be 0.22 millimetres.

This trace amount is so tiny that it’s imperceptible, yet it’s there—found mostly in our blood. Gold, along with other trace elements, plays a small but essential role in our bodies, contributing to processes like cellular communication and even joint health. The gold in our bodies is not enough to form a visible substance, let alone a piece of jewellery. Yet, its presence is a testament to the fascinating complexity of our biology.

How gold compares to other elements in the body

Gold is only one of the many trace elements found in the human body. In fact, we contain many essential elements in vastly greater quantities:

• Oxygen (43 kg): Vital for respiration and a primary component of water in the body, oxygen makes up most of our mass.
• Carbon (16 kg): As the building block of all organic molecules, carbon is essential to life itself, comprising our DNA, proteins, and fats.
• Iron (4 grams): Although relatively small in quantity, iron is crucial for carrying oxygen in the blood.
• Gold (0.2 mg): While its biological purpose is minor, gold is thought to contribute to some joint and nervous system functions.

This comparison illustrates how rare gold is within us, especially when placed alongside elements like oxygen and carbon, which are foundational to life.

If all humans' gold were collected

According to the United Nations, there were around 8 billion people on Earth in 2022. If we collected the 0.2 mg of gold within each person, we’d gather around 1,600 kilograms. To put this into perspective, this amount would equate to about 128 standard gold bars, each weighing 12.5 kilograms. Although this might sound significant, this collective amount remains modest in the context of global gold reserves. Even with the entire human population’s contribution, it would yield only a small vault of gold.

What's the value of all the gold in every human?

Based on the current live price of gold, the cumulative value of all the gold in the human population of the planet equates to £114,013,919.95!

The symbolic and practical value of gold in medicine

Gold’s inert and conductive properties make it particularly valuable in medical applications, where it is used in treatments and technologies that benefit human health. Gold nanoparticles, for instance, are used in certain cancer treatments, helping to target and deliver drugs to specific cells precisely. Additionally, gold-based compounds have been employed in treating rheumatoid arthritis and are being explored in diagnostics and imaging. The presence of gold in the human body, small as it is, reminds us of the element’s unique characteristics that benefit us biologically and medically.

Why do we have gold in our bodies?

While the role of gold in the physiological processes of the human body was unknown for many years, it has recently been determined that gold plays a role in both the health and maintenance of the joints, as well as being a key element in the transmittal of electrical signals throughout the body. Of interesting note, the human body contains 1.0 gram of Silicon. This element is commonly found in the presence of gold in nature and its metabolic function is currently unknown.

Please Note: Gold Traders does not accept human body parts for gold recovery 🤓