Essential minerals are inorganic nutrients, such as metal ores, that your body needs for good health. Essential minerals are broken into two subcategories: macrominerals, which your body requires in large quantities, and trace minerals, of which you only need small amounts. Essential macrominerals include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur, whereas essential trace minerals include cobalt, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc, molybdenum and chromium. The best way to get all of the essential minerals is to eat a varied diet.
Electrolyte Minerals
Electrolytes are essential macrominerals which your body needs in certain amounts to regulate nerve and muscle functioning, and to maintain both fluid balance and acid-base balance within the body. The principle electrolyte minerals include sodium, potassium and chloride. Very low or high blood concentrations of electrolyte minerals -- which may occur due to dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, or other health problems --may result in potentially fatal conditions such as hypokalemia, a condition caused by dangerously-low potassium, or hyponatremia, caused by very low sodium chloride/salt. The Recommended Dietary Allowances of essential electrolyte minerals for adults are as follows: 1,000 mg sodium, 1,000 mg chloride and 3.5 g potassium.
Bone-Building Minerals
Certain essential minerals are involved in maintaining strong, healthy bones and teeth. These include the macrominerals calcium, phosphorus, magnesium. Low calcium and magnesium levels due to inadequate dietary intake are both associated with increased risk of osteoporosis, whereas deficiencies of phophorus, another important bone component, are very rare since this mineral is widely distributed in foods, according to Council Responsible for Nutrition. Besides building bones and teeth, calcium and magnesium are both important for proper nerve, muscle and enzyme functions in the body, while phosphorus is also used to form nucleic acids, including DNA. The RDAs for these essential minerals are 1,000 mg calcium for adults under 50 or 1,200 mg for adults 50 and older; 320 mg magnesium for women or 420 mg for men; and 700 mg phosphorus.
Sulfur
Sulfur is another essential macromineral needed in large amounts for good health, although it's rarely included in nutritional charts because it is found in all proteins. Therefore, any diet containing sufficient protein also includes adequate sulfur. Sulfur is also found in almost all proteins and enzymes within the body, comprising approximately 0.25 percent of your total body weight, according to Online-Family-Doctor.com. This essential mineral is important for cellular respiration which aids all cell activities including proper brain functioning. There is no RDA for sulfur, although about 850 mg per day is thought to be needed to maintain normal sulfur levels in the body.
Trace Minerals
Besides macrominerals, your diet also needs to include small amounts of trace minerals iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, selenium, molybdenum and chromium which serve various functions in the body. The RDAs for trace minerals, also called trace elements, are as follows: 20 to 25 mcg chromium for women or 30 to 35 mcg for men; 900 mcg copper; 3 mcg fluoride for women or 4 mcg for men; 150 mcg iodine; 8 mg iron for men and women over 50,18 mg for women under 50, 9 mg for breastfeeding women or 27 mg for pregnant women; 1.8 mg manganese for women or 2.3 mg for men; 45 mcg molybdenum; 55 mcg selenium; and 15 mg zinc. There is no established RDA for cobalt. (See References 1, 2, 3, 5)
References
- MedlinePlus: Minerals
- MerckManuals.com; Introduction: Minerals and Electrolytes; August 2008
- Dummies.com; What Minerals Are Essential to a Healthy Diet?; Carol Ann Rinzler
- Online-Family-Doctor.com: Sulfur - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources
- Brigham and Women's Hospital; Cobalt; August 2009
Member Comments