THE IMPORTANCE OF MINERALS

An increasingly large amount of disease today may be attributable to deficiencies in the supply of both macro and trace minerals in our diets. How can this be the case when the majority of the country is overweight? These deficiencies do not stem from a lack of quantity of food, rather they stem from the quality of food. Macro minerals and trace minerals are primarily found in whole, unprocessed foods such as vegetables and fruits. Unfortunately, the majority of commercially grown fruits and vegetables found in supermarkets today are nutritionally devoid of these minerals, due to the overused and depleted soils they are grown in.

An important point about minerals: the mineral content of food is mainly dependent on the amount of minerals found in the soil in which it is grown. Commercial farming practices end up stripping soils with less than optimal amounts of these minerals, especially the less common trace minerals. As a result of this, our food supplies leave us at risk for deficiencies of these very important substances. Because of this situation, it is essential that everyone supplements their diet with minerals in order to avoid the many diseases of deficiency.

Macro minerals, present in the body include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sulfur. get the most notice. Trace minerals are often overlooked, but proper amounts of all minerals are extremely important to the body's function. The most important trace minerals are iron, zinc, copper, chromium, fluoride, iodine, selenium, manganese, and molybdenum.

Minerals are important in the proper functioning of enzyme systems, nerve conduction, bone formation, and muscle function, assisting with transfer of nourishment into cells, providing a framework for tissues and bone and regulation of organ functions.

As science and natural medicine continues to uncover the many roles for all of these minerals, doctors are finding exciting solutions to several maladies that may be successfully treated by replacing these nutrients in the body. Unless we begin replacing these minerals early on in life, we put ourselves at risk for the many diseases of mineral deficiency that are becoming more and more prevalent in society today.

The degree to which the amount of an ingested nutrient is absorbed and available to the body is called bioavailability. Mineral bioavailability depends on several factors. Higher absorption occurs among individuals who are deficient in a mineral, while some elements in the diet (e.g., oxalic acid or oxalate in spinach) can decrease mineral availability by chemically binding to the mineral. In addition, excess intake of one mineral can influence the absorption and metabolism of other minerals. For example, the presence of a large amount of zinc in the diet decreases the absorption of iron and copper. On the other hand, the presence of certain vitamins in a meal enhances absorption of minerals from the meal. For example, vitamin C improves iron absorption, and vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium.

In general, minerals from animal sources...