Saturday, March 31, 2012

What are Minerals and Why are They Required for the Body?

Like vitamins, minerals are also essential for the growth, development, of the body. Minerals also have their own functionality and strengths. There are 22 minerals that have been identified to be necessary for specific metabolic functions and their absence would result in health related problems. There are two types of minerals.

1. Macro or major minerals
2. Trace minerals.

Macro minerals are the minerals needed for body in larger amounts whereas the trace minerals are the minerals needed for body in less amounts.

These minerals are known as body minerals or sometimes dietary minerals are required for our body in building the structure of strong bones and teeth, maintaining nerve impulses, heart rhythm, muscle contractility, neural conductivity, acid-base balance hormones and to maintain a normal heartbeat.

Only 5% of the body weight needs minerals and help to regulate cellular metabolism and is significant and life is not possible to sustain without them.

These can be naturally occurring food or added in elemental or mineral form, such as calcium carbonate or sodium chloride. Some come from natural sources such as ground oyster shells. Sometimes minerals are added to the diet separately from food, as vitamin and mineral supplements to get to our body.

Each and every mineral under macro and trace elements varies from each other and is useful in physiological improvement, digestion, absorption. Interaction with other nutrients and metabolism of each mineral varies. Some minerals come from the earth’s crust, and end up in the soil where they’re extracted by plants, which are then eaten by humans and other animals.

Last but not the least excessive intake of a dietary minerals may either lead to illness directly or indirectly because of the competitive nature of mineral levels in the body.

Related Links:
Vitamins

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