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Mineral nutrients
are essential to life.
Without mineral
nutrients, your body wouldn't be able to function. Mineral nutrients serve
as the basic structural components of your skeletal system, blood proteins,
enzymes, and certain hormones and vitamins. Your body uses minerals to
produce energy and carry out important biochemical processes such as enzyme
reactions, hormone production, and nerve transmission. Mineral nutrients
also help promote proper growth and development of tissue, and assist
in heart and muscle function.
WHERE
DOES THE BODY GET MINERAL NUTRIENTS?
Having a full complement of all minerals is important. Your body cannot
make essential minerals; they must come from your diet. Modern food processing
and farming techniques can reduce the mineral content of some foods by
as much as 99%, helping make mineral deficiencies more widespread than
vitamin deficiencies. Another reason for mineral deficiencies is that
minerals are not released as easily from food compounds as vitamins are.
WHAT
ARE SOME IMPORTANT MINERAL NUTRIENTS?
Your body depends on several key mineral nutrients. These include calcium
for bone tissue and muscle function; magnesium for heart function
and energy production; manganese
for skin tissue, hair growth, and immune function; and zinc for
sexual function, digestion, and wound healing. Some other important mineral
nutrients include chromium, cobalt, copper, strontium
and
sulfur.
HOW
COMMON ARE NUTRIENT IMBALANCES?
Nutrient imbalances often go undetected in a great number of people. Many
clinical studies have reported multiple mineral deficiencies in a large
percentage of the U.S. population. One researcher found that the average
daily intake of copper by individuals consuming typical Western diets
was only about half of the 2 - 3 mg required for optimal health. Another
important study revealed that the average selenium consumption in the
U.S. is typically less than half of the amount necessary.
WHAT
CAUSES NUTRIENT IMBALANCES?
Imbalances of mineral elements can stem from poor diet, genetic predisposition,
maldigestion or malabsorption of food, excess stress, or an improper balance
of nutritional supplements.
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