Uses Of Minerals, Minerals are essential to life, but taking more than enough brings no added benefit. A balanced diet should ensure your proper intake, minerals are inorganic compounds that must be provided in the diet in order for the body to remain healthy.
#What Are Minerals And What Are Their Uses?
The main minerals required for proper body function and maintenance are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and iron.
In addition to these are other minerals which are vital to the body’s chemical processes but are required only in minute quantities.
#Why Do We Need Minerals?
Minerals are present throughout the body, each one having its own specific functions:
|Calcium||99% of body calcium is present in the skeleton. This makes bones rigid and strong. The remaining 1% of body calcium is in the blood and tissues, where it is essential for the proper functioning of nerves and muscles, and to enable the blood to clot.|
|Iron||This forms part of the pigment hemoglobin which is present in red blood cells. Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. Iron is stored in the liver.|
|Iodine||An important constituent of hormones produced by the thyroid gland, such as thyroxine. Insufficient iodine in the diet causes an enlarged thyroid, known as a goiter.
Thyroxine helps to determine the metabolic rate, governing all cellular processes in the body.
|Zinc||This is present inside the cells where it forms part of over 70 enzymes (proteins that regulate cellular metabolism).|
|Magnesium||Part of many enzymes in the cells; present in the skeleton, and active in the nerves.|
|Sodium and potassium||Both help to regulate fluid balance in the body and the functioning of the heart. They also help to generate nerve impulses and are active in the process of muscle contraction.|
|Phosphorus||Present in the skeleton, associated with calcium. It also helps maintain the body's acid-alkaline balance.|
#Which Foods Contain Some Of The Most Important Minerals?
|Mineral content||Food source||Reference nutrient|
|Calcium||Dairy products, green Leafy vegetables, beans ||700mg|
|Magnesium||Nuts, soya beans, milk, fish, green vegetables, wholegrain cereals, hard water||300mg (m), 270mg (f)t|
|Sodium||Processed foods, smoked meat, table salt||1600mg|
|Potassium||salt Bread, whole grain cereals, beans, bananas ||3500mg|
|Iron||Meats, fish, liver, egg yolks, bread, some green leafy vegetables, cereals, nuts, beans ||8.7mg (m), 14.8mg (f)|
|Zinc||Lean meats, fish, shellfish, beans, eggs, nuts, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal bread ||9.5mg (m), 7.0mg (f)|
|Copper||Liver, shellfish, peas, nuts, dried beans ||1.2mg|
|Selenium||Meat, fish, shellfish, wholegrain cereals, dairy products ||75lJg (m), 60pg(f)|
|lodine||Salt-water fish, shellfish||140 lJg|
|Fluoride||Fish, soya beans, drinking water depending on the area ||No RNI|
#How Are Minerals Absorbed By The Body?
Not all of a mineral present in food is available for absorption into the body. This is because only a proportion of the mineral may be liberated from foods during digestion.
Different minerals can react with each other and so interfere with absorption. They can also react with other substances in the digestive tract such as dietary fiber, oxalic acid, and phytic acid, reducing their availability to the body.
Minerals present in animal foods are generally better absorbed by the body than minerals from plant foods.
The calcium present in milk and dairy foods is also better absorbed than the calcium in plant foods.
#How Much Do We Need?
The chart above gives the Reference Nutrient Intake for adult men and women for some important minerals. Women who are breastfeeding need much more calcium (an extra 550mg a day) and phosphorus (an extra 425mg a day).
They also need a little extra magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium. Women with high menstrual losses may require more iron than the figure suggests. The best way for these women to get iron is by taking supplements.
Children generally need fewer minerals than adults. However, adolescents need more calcium and phosphorus than adults. On average, our current intake of sodium (salt) is far higher than our physiological needs.