Macro and Trace Minerals for Health

Minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. A wide range of minerals is essential for human health.

Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Other minerals like chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc are called trace minerals because you only need very small amounts of them each day, yet they have been identified to have important, if not essential, roles in maintaining health.

There is evidence that the need for mineral intake is not being met, especially in certain subpopulations. It is difficult for most individuals to ingest enough calcium from foods available in a cereal-based economy without liberal consumption of dairy products. Thus, supplementation with minerals is recommended to complement dietary intake and avoid deficiencies.

Not All Mineral Supplements Are Created Equal

Mineral supplements are associated with different absorptive capacities. The absorption of minerals depends on a number of physiological, biochemical and hormonal characteristics of the body and the form of the mineral consumed. Potential mineral sources are not all alike and should be evaluated for bioavailability.

Factors That Enhance Mineral Absorption: Factors that enhance mineral absorption include the form of the mineral ingested, maintenance of chemical stability, presence of a specific transporter, small particle size, solubility, ascorbic acid, and low intestinal motility.

Factors The Inhibit Mineral Absorption: Factors that inhibit absorption include oxalic acid, phytic acid, (5) fiber(6), sodium, tannins(7), caffeine, protein, fat, antacids, rapid transit time, malabsorption syndromes, precipitation by alkalinization, other minerals(8), hormones and nutritional status(9).

Colloidal minerals exhibit properties that enhance absorption. Principles of biochemistry support the view that colloidal minerals may be more bioavailable than minerals in solid supplement or food forms. However, the vast majority of colloidal mineral supplements on the market today consist of metallic mineral colloids. Some manufactures contend that the small size makes it possible for the colloidal mineral to pass through the membrane of a cell wall. While this may be the case, the metal is still a metal mineral which has not been chelated. Hence, colloidal minerals are not organic and are not bio-available. In our view non-chelated colloidal minerals are not as safe as the naturally chelated minerals found in MorningStar mineral supplements. This is because colloidal minerals are metals and may remain in the body until a potentially harmful concentration has been reached.

What Are Health Benefits of Minerals?

Some minerals are so essential that our body suffers without them. For example, calcium is needed so that you can grow as tall as you were meant to grow, to keep your bones and teeth strong, and to keep your muscles and nerves working smoothly. Phosphorus acts with calcium to give bones and teeth strength and hardness. Iron is needed for the red blood cells to carry oxygen. Zinc is needed for the normal growth and repair of your body's cells.

A number of diseases are associated with mineral deficiencies or impaired metabolism of minerals (click here for a partial list). Supplementation with minerals has improved the nutritional status and lowered disease risk and progression factors among patients with various disorders. However, it is important to note that there is a natural synergy to the minerals in your body, each working in concert with other minerals to maintain a healthful balance in your body. An excess of one mineral depletes or diminishes the effectiveness of other minerals. (See the mineral wheel image to the right.) The ideal is to find the perfect balance, which is easiest to achieve when taking supplements that are food based, which already contains nature's perfect balance of minerals. For instance, some excellent sources of calcium include coral calcium, which is a whole organism that contains all the minerals in a form similar to our skeletal system, and Hydrilla, a seaweed rich in calcium and other minerals.

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