Minerals

Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium - when you hear the list of minerals you feel like you're back in your school days, in the boring chemistry lessons with Dr. ... what was his name? But this is not about memorising the periodic table, but about minerals and their importance for our body. What are minerals, where do they occur, what do we need them for and where do we find minerals?

Minerals are essential inorganic nutrients that our body cannot produce itself. They must therefore be ingested actively with food. On the one hand, minerals are involved in building up the body, such as calcium and phosphorus as important components of the bones, others support special functions in the body. Iron, for example, is indispensable for the body's oxygen supply, zinc supports wound healing and growth, and iodine is a component of thyroid hormones.

The content of the individual minerals in our body ranges from a few milligrams to the kilogram range: for example, our body contains 10 to 30 milligrams of iodine and 1 to 1.1 kilograms of calcium. Based on the content in our body, a classification is made into bulk and trace elements: Quantitative elements are present in our body with more than 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, trace elements with less than 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

Your body needs seven essential elements:

• Calcium for bones, teeth and the nervous system.
• Potassium for blood pressure regulation
• Sodium for fluid balance, the nervous system and muscles
• Magnesium for metabolism, muscles and nerves
• Phosphorus as a component of bones and nucleic acids
• Sulphur as a component of amino acids and B vitamins
• Chlorine for the water balance and the acid/base balance

In aqueous solution, the elements are present as ions, either as positively charged particles, for example calcium as Ca2+, sodium as Na+, or as negatively charged particles such as chlorine Cl- or sulphur SO42-. The charged particles are also called electrolytes. Some of them act as pairs, for example calcium and magnesium, which are responsible for muscle tension and relaxation, among other things. Or sodium and chlorine, which we often ingest together in the form of table salt NaCl and which together regulate the body's water balance.

Essential trace elements include:

• Iron for the oxygen supply of the body and for the formation of haemoglobin and red blood cells.
• Iodine for the formation and regulation of the thyroid gland
• Copper for the nervous system and iron transport
• Manganese supports energy metabolism and strengthens bones and connective tissue
• Molybdenum is a component of enzymes and supports the breakdown of sulphurous amino acids.
• Selenium strengthens the immune system and is necessary for normal thyroid function.
• Zinc supports wound healing and is involved in the production of hormones

Fluorine and chromium were also considered essential trace elements until 2013 and 2014 respectively, but they were removed from the list by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) because a beneficial effect on human health could not be explicitly demonstrated. [1] [2]

In addition to the essential trace elements, other trace elements are present in our body, but it has not yet been clarified whether they are an accidental component of the human body or whether they have a physiological function. These include, for example, lithium, rubidium or arsenic. [3]

Whether trace or bulk element, the essential minerals have one thing in common: our body cannot produce them itself and we have to take them in with food. Many of the minerals can be stored in the body over a longer period of time, for example calcium in the bones, iron in the liver or spleen or zinc in the tissues. This has the advantage for us that we do not have to take in a sufficient amount of all minerals every day in order to function at all. On the other hand, deficiencies can also remain undetected for a long time because the body helps itself from the stores and symptoms only appear when there is already a long-term deficiency and the stores have been largely emptied.

With a healthy, varied diet, the normal needs of a healthy person can be met. This means: plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain products, seeds and nuts, dairy products, meat in moderation, fish once a week. Add to this mineral water containing calcium and magnesium, and you are well supplied. Unfortunately, it is not always that simple, because there are phases in which the body has an increased need for certain minerals. For example, there is an increased need for iron during pregnancy, or magnesium for competitive athletes. Older people also often have an increased need. On the other hand, a reduced intake of minerals can lead to a deficiency. This can be caused, for example, by chronic stomach or intestinal diseases or inflammations that prevent the absorption of certain minerals. One-sided diets or allergies such as coeliac disease can also lead to an insufficient supply of minerals. In these cases, your family doctor can determine and treat the content of the various minerals with the help of a mineral analysis.

The symptoms of deficiency are as varied as the minerals themselves. With many minerals, a deficiency manifests itself in non-specific symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, concentration problems or skin changes. Only your family doctor can determine what exactly you are lacking by analysing your minerals. Other minerals have very specific deficiency symptoms: Iodine deficiency manifests itself in problems with the thyroid gland, iron deficiency leads to pale skin and hair loss, magnesium deficiency to muscle cramps. You should also take non-specific symptoms seriously over a longer period of time: a persistent deficiency can have serious consequences.

Mild cases can usually be treated by changing the diet. If your doctor has diagnosed a severe deficiency, the necessary minerals are often injected directly to quickly supply the body with a large amount of minerals. Subsequently, a sufficient supply is ensured by appropriate dietary supplements. However, you should only take these after consulting your doctor, as some minerals can have very serious consequences if overdosed.

Minerals are essential nutrients that our body needs but cannot produce itself. They must therefore be actively absorbed through food. Depending on their content in the body, they are divided into bulk and trace elements. A balanced and varied diet normally supplies a healthy person with all important minerals. In case of an increased need or a reduced intake due to chronic gastrointestinal diseases, an insufficient supply can lead to deficiency symptoms.