Many elements have been suggested as required in human nutrition, but such claims are often suspect as pseudoscience. Zinc is pervasive and required for several enzymes such as carboxypeptidase, liver alcohol dehydrogenase, carbonic anhydrase.No specific biochemical function has been identified for it in humans, although vanadium is found in lower organisms) Vanadium (There is no established RDA for vanadium.Selenium is required for peroxidase (antioxidant proteins).Molybdenum is required for xanthine oxidase and related oxidases.Iron is required for many proteins and enzymes, notably hemoglobin.Iodine is required for the biosynthesis of thyroxin, is required in larger quantities than the other trace minerals in this list and is sometimes classified with the bulk minerals.Fluorine for tooth enamel which contains fluoroapatite (see Water fluoridation controversy).Copper is required component of many redox enzymes, including cytochrome c oxidase.Cobalt is required for biosynthesis of vitamin B12 family of coenzymes.Some trace mineral elements (RDA < 200 mg/day) are (alphabetical order): Sulfur is an essential element for life in cysteine and methionine amino acids and some cofactorsĪ variety of elements are required in trace amounts, unusually because they play a role in catalysis in enzymes.Potassium is an electrolyte (heart and nerves health).Phosphorus is a component of bones (see apatite) and energy processing and many other functions (bone mineralization).Magnesium is required for processing ATP and related reactions (health, builds bone, causes strong peristalsis, increases flexibility, increases alkalinity).Chloride (for production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach).Calcium (for muscle and digestive system health, builds bone, neutralizes acidity, clears toxins, helps blood stream).In Human nutrition, the dietary bulk "mineral elements" ( RDA > 200 mg/day) are in alphabetical order (parenthetical comments on folk medicine perspective): There is no universally accepted definition of the difference between "large" and "small" amounts.Ī variety of elements are required to support the biochemical processes, many play a role as electrolytes or in a structural role. Conversely "microminerals" or "trace minerals" are required relatively in minute amounts. On the other hand, large doses of zinc are less dangerous but can lead to a harmful copper deficiency (unless compensated for, as in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study).ĭietary minerals classified as "macromineral" are required in relatively large amounts. For example, large doses of selenium are lethal. Excessive intake of any element (again, usually as an ion) will lead to poisoning. Commonly, the requirements are met with a conventional diet. Appropriate intake levels of certain chemical elements is thus required to maintain optimal health. The dietary focus on "minerals" derives from an interest in supporting the biosynthetic apparatus with the required elemental components. Vitamins, which are not considered minerals, are organic compounds, some of which contain heavy elements such as iodine and cobalt. The chemical composition of soils will vary depending on the location. Sometimes minerals are added to the diet separately from food, such as mineral supplements, the most famous being iodine in " iodized salt." Dirt eating, called pica or geophagy is practiced by some as a means of supplementing the diet with elements. Sometimes these "minerals" come from natural sources such as ground oyster shells. Some dietitians recommend that these heavier elements should be supplied by ingesting specific foods (that are enriched in the element(s) of interest), compounds, and sometimes including even minerals, such as calcium carbonate. Furthermore, once dissolved, so-called minerals do not exist as such, sodium chloride breaks down into sodium ions and chloride ions in aqueous solution. The term "mineral" is archaic, since the intent of the definition is to describe ions, not chemical compounds or actual minerals. Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which are present in common organic molecules.
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