All about Minerals

All of us hear so much about minerals and their importance in our daily life but many of us do not know much about them. This article details some of the many important minerals, where we can find them and what happens if there is deficiency of such minerals.

What are minerals? These are naturally occurring substances found in rocks and earth soil, which have their characteristic appearance and chemical composition. The primary functions of minerals are:

They form constituents of the skeleton.

They control the composition of body fluids

The play important adjunctive role in the assimilation of many enzymes and their proteins.

Calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, and chromium picolinate are some of the important minerals about which we would discuss here.

Calcium

Calcium is an indispensable mineral for healthy bones and strong teeth. Its other attributes include ensuring optimum muscle and nerve functioning and helping in blood clotting. Calcium is very essential for growing children. Foods which are rich in calcium are milk, cheese, eggs, dairy products, fruits, green vegetables, almonds, seaweeds (such as kelp, wakame and hijiki), nuts, beans and pulses, breads and fish. Calcium deficiency states can impact bone and teeth formation while any excess calcium in the body could result in kidney stones.

Magnesium

This mineral is needed for maintaining muscles, nerves and bones. It plays an important role in maintaining the rhythm of the heart, energy metabolism as well as protein synthesis.

Spinach, nuts, seeds, whole grains, water, fruits and vegetables provide rich sources of magnesium. Its deficiency results in a large number of disease conditions including sensitivity to noise, nervousness, irritability, mental depression, confusion, twitching among others.

Potassium

This is involved in maintaining the fluid balance in our body. it effectively controls the activities of the heart, muscular and nervous system of the body and is present in almost every cell of the body. The water and acidity balance of the blood and tissues is kept in optimum condition by this mineral. Interestingly, our bodies carry more than twice the amount of potassium as sodium. Bananas, orange juice, breads, cereals and other grain products can provide us with loads of potassium. Weakness and malfunctioning of the muscles are caused by potassium deficiency while any excess of potassium can cause irregularity of heart beats.

Selenium

This mineral performs largely as a protein called seleno-proteins which act as enzymes. This can prevent cell damages caused by environmental oxidants or which are caused by normal metabolism. Seafood, some meats (such as kidney and liver), some grains and seeds are good sources for Selenium. Its deficiency results in a disease condition called ‘Keshan’ disease which is fatal. It is a disease of the heart muscles. Excess amounts of this mineral can cause permanent balding and brittle nails. The deficiency state also results in a garlic odor in breath and intestinal distress, weakness and slowed mental functioning.

Zinc

This mineral is essential for protein product and cell division in the body. It is related closely to the sense of smell and is a component of insulin. Eggs, cereals, meat, liver, seafood and nuts are good sources of zinc. Zinc deficiency can result in a short stature of the individual, dark skin, enlarged liver and spleen, impaired sexual or reproductive function, slow wound healing and immune deficiency. Any excess of this mineral could cause upset stomach and cause copper deficiency states.

Chromium Picolinate

Playing a critical role in the carbohydrate and fat synthesis, this mineral works in conjunction with insulin, helping the cells to absorb glucose and release energy, which enables us to perform all activities.

Meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables as well as vegetable oils are abundant sources for this mineral

Anxiety, fatigue, glucose intolerance (particularly in people with diabetes), inadequate metabolism of amino acids, and an increased risk of arteriosclerosis are some of the negative outcome when we run a deficiency state for this mineral.

Original Article Source: http://www.medicalneeds.com

Niche Profit Sites by