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SummaryMinerals are important for your body to stay healthy. Your body uses minerals for many different jobs, including keeping your bones, muscles, heart, and brain working properly. Minerals are also important for making enzymes and hormones. There are two kinds of minerals: macrominerals and trace minerals. You need larger amounts of macrominerals. They include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur. You only need small amounts of trace minerals. They include iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium. Most people get the amount of minerals they need by eating a wide variety of foods. In some cases, your doctor may recommend a mineral supplement. People who have certain health problems or take some medicines may need to get less of one of the minerals. For example, people with chronic kidney disease need to limit foods that are high in potassium. Start Here
Minerals are essential nutrients found in many different types of plant- and animal-based foods. Macro-minerals, or those you require in greater amounts, include calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, chloride, and sulfur. Trace minerals, or those you need in smaller amounts, include iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, copper, iodine, cobalt, and fluoride. Both types of minerals support a wide variety of bodily functions, ranging from building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth to keeping your muscles, heart and brain working properly. Bone and Tooth HealthYour skeleton provides motility, protection and support for the body. It also stores minerals and other nutrients. Though they appear hard and unyielding, your bones are actually constantly being reabsorbed and reformed by your body. Several minerals make up the lattice architecture of your bones. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body and is found in your bones and blood. Along with the minerals phosphorus and magnesium, calcium gives your bones strength and density. This mineral also builds and maintains strong, healthy teeth. Calcium deficiency due to poor nutrition or illness can lead to osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become brittle and less dense, increasing the risk of fractures. KidsHealth notes that foods that are rich in calcium include milk and other dairy products, green, leafy vegetables and canned fish with bones. Energy ProductionYou require oxygen to produce energy that is necessary for every bodily function and process. Red blood cells -- or erythrocytes -- carry oxygen to each of your infinite cells, where it is used to generate energy. Red blood cells contain a heme or iron component that binds to oxygen so that it can be transported. Without the iron molecules, oxygen could not be attached to the blood cells and the body would not be able to produce the energy necessary for life. Iron is an essential mineral, and failing to get enough from your diet can lead to a condition called anemia, which causes weakness and fatigue. This mineral is primarily found in the blood, and it is also stored in your liver, spleen, bone marrow and muscles. Nerve and Muscle FunctionPotassium is found in bananas, dates, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and legumes such as peas and lentils. This nutrient is important to keep muscles and the nervous system functioning normally. Potassium helps to maintain the correct water balance in the cells of your nerves and muscles. Without this essential mineral, your nerves could not generate an impulse to signal your body to move, and the muscles in your heart, organs and body would not be able to contract and flex. Immune HealthSome minerals such as calcium are needed in large quantities, while others such as zinc are only needed in trace amounts. Zinc is an essential mineral that is important for keeping your immune system strong and helps your body fight infections, heal wounds and repair cells. KidsHealth notes that eating meat and legumes such as beans, peas and lentils will give you sufficient amounts of zinc. Selenium is also needed in small amounts for immune health. A deficiency of selenium has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and even some types of cancers. What are the main functions of minerals?Minerals help maintain acid-base balance, to keep the body pH neutral. Minerals help regulate body processes, such as in enzyme systems. Minerals function in nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. Minerals help release energy from food.
What is the function of vitamins nutrients?Vitamins and minerals are essential for bodily functions such as helping to fight infection, wound healing, making our bones strong and regulating hormones. Vitamins and minerals can cause toxicity if consumed in large amounts.
What are 5 mineral functions?Minerals are responsible for maintaining electrolyte balance, strengthening teeth and bones, boost energy levels, muscle contractions, trigger immunity, and supports the nervous system and thyroid functions. They also convert food into energy and repair cellular damage.
What are minerals main nutrients?Minerals are those elements on the earth and in foods that our bodies need to develop and function normally. Those essential for health include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium.
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What is the function of minerals nutrients?
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