Essential Minerals Quiz

Essential Minerals and Their Functions in the Body

• Under low zinc intake, more zinc is transported into the enterocyte than out, leading to reduced metallothionein production and increased Zn in the blood.
• Zinc is involved in superoxide dismutase function, DNA and RNA synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, insulin storage, and immune system function.
• Zinc fingers, required for DNA binding, are influenced by zinc intake.
• Acrodermatits enteropathica is a rare inherited form of zinc deficiency that rapidly responds to zinc supplementation.
• Zinc deficiency symptoms include poor growth, skin rashes, hair loss, and reduced immune function.
• Zinc toxicity can cause gastrointestinal irritation, headaches, and chronic zinc toxicity can lead to copper deficiency.
• Copper exists in +1 and +2 oxidation states, with the majority in the CuII form, and zinc can decrease the bioavailability of copper.
• Copper functions in the body include electron transport, collagen cross-linking, iron metabolism, neurotransmitter production, melanin production, and antioxidant protection.
• Copper absorption is about 30-40% and can be inhibited by high intakes of iron, manganese, molybdenum, and vitamin C.
• Copper deficiency can occur in infants with chronic diarrhea, patients undergoing chronic dialysis, and individuals with genetic disorders like Menkes disease.
• Wilson’s disease is a rare genetic disorder resulting in copper overload, characterized by Kayser-Fleischer rings in the eyes.
• Manganese is involved in various metabolic processes, including amino acid, cholesterol, and cartilage metabolism, and is also needed for the activity of superoxide dismutase.