Minerals and Their Functions

Minerals

• Minerals are vital nutrients for the human body
• Similar to vitamins, minerals are chemicals needed for proper bodily function
• Unlike vitamins, minerals originate entirely from the earth and maintain their chemical identity
• The nutrient value of food depends on the mineral content of the soil where it grows

Two Groups of Minerals

• Major minerals (macrominerals)
  • Required in amounts greater than 100mg/day
  • Include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chloride, and magnesium
• Trace minerals (microminerals)
  • Needed in smaller amounts than major minerals
  • Examples are iron, zinc, copper, cobalt, chromium, iodine, manganese, and molybdenum

Mineral Function

• Cofactors: Minerals bind to enzymes and help them catalyze reactions. Support antioxidant systems, energy production, and other essential bodily processes
• Fluid Balance: Minerals, like sodium and potassium, are electrolytes and maintain the balance of fluids inside and outside cells, regulating osmotic pressure
• Mineral Interactions: Minerals interplay in the body, some working together (synergy), while others can interfere or oppose each other (antagonism).

Mineral Control

• Gastrointestinal tract regulates mineral absorption based on needs
• Minerals in intestines are either excreted or reabsorbed
• Kidneys excrete excess and reabsorb essential minerals

Specific Minerals - Calcium

• Abundance: Most abundant mineral in the body
• Location: 99% of body’s calcium is in bones and teeth
• Food Sources: Cheese, milk, yogurt, leafy greens, cabbage, okra, broccoli, green beans
• Functions: Muscle contraction, nerve transmission, regulating hormones and enzymes, blood pressure regulation, blood clotting

Specific Minerals - Phosphorus

• Abundance: Second most abundant
• Location: Primarily in bone tissue
• Food Sources: Kefir, yogurt, salmon, raw milk, grass-fed steak, Brazil nuts, hard cheese
• Functions: Bone and tooth formation, part of DNA and RNA, buffer in acid-base balance, muscle contraction, nerve impulses, rhythmic heart beats, blood pressure regulation

Specific Minerals - Potassium

• Abundance: Plentiful in living cells
• Food Sources: Fruits, vegetables (e.g., bananas, potatoes, spinach, broccoli)
• Functions: Principal cation in intracellular fluid, maintaining acid-base balance, nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, regulating osmotic pressure, cell membrane function, required during glycogenesis, metabolism regulated by aldosterone

Specific Minerals - Sulfur

• Form: Oxidized form of sulfur; found in proteins, thiamin, and biotin
• Absorption: Absorbed throughout the GI tract; 80% consumed is absorbed
• Excretion: Excess excreted by kidneys
• Function: Part of proteins, vitamin thiamine, and biotin

Specific Minerals - Sodium

• Abundance: Among the most abundant minerals
• Form: Combines with chlorine to form salt
• Sources: Table salt, processed foods, soy sauce
• Functions: Maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, preserves and enhances food flavor

Specific Minerals - Chloride

• Abundance: Among the most abundant minerals
• Form: Combines with sodium to form salt
• Relationship with Sodium/Functions: Maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance

Specific Minerals - Magnesium

• Abundance: Final major mineral; less abundant than calcium
• Location: Primarily in bones; present throughout the body
• Food Sources: Halibut, cashews, artichokes, spinach
• Functions: Over 300 reactions in the body; muscle contraction, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, lung function, cofactor for enzymes

Trace Minerals

• Essential elements vital for growth and development, and also balance toxicity levels
• Categorized as essential, probably essential, or non-essential based on their biological effects, deficiencies, and toxicities

Specific Minerals - Zinc

• Abundance: Second most abundant trace element
• Sources: Wheat, brown rice and oats, lentils, soybeans, dried peas, Brazil nuts, cheeses, liver, beef, lamb, and chicken
• Functions: Cofactor for hundreds of enzymes, important for growth, immune system, cell growth, wound healing, bone metabolism, taste, smell, and vision

Specific Minerals - Copper

• Abundance: Third most abundant trace element
• Sources: Red meat, cocoa, shellfish, water piped through copper, and chocolates
• Functions: Involved in erythropoiesis, erythrocyte function, energy production, nerve conduction, connective tissue function, immune system, women’s fertility, and pregnancy.

Specific Nutrients - Iron

• Abundance: Essential trace mineral, one of the most important
• Form: Hemoglobin, ferritin, hemosiderin, myoglobin, iron enzymes
• Functions: Part of crucial enzymes; hemoglobin for oxygen transport, iron-dependent enzymes.

Specific Minerals - lodine

• Abundance: Essential trace mineral
• Function: Component of thyroid hormones
• Sources: vegetables, seafood, cabbage, turnip, hard water
• Deficiency: Endemic goiter, cretinism in children