Essential Minerals for Optimal Health

Minerals and elements play a crucial role in maintaining normal body functions and overall health. Among these, water, common salt, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, and potassium are indispensable for the body's growth and development. Additionally, chlorine (found in common salt), sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon are vital for various physiological processes.

Unlike other nutrients, minerals consist of single atoms that carry an electric charge when in solution. This unique property allows them to combine with other minerals, forming stable complexes essential for the structure of bones, teeth, cartilage, and other tissues. For instance, calcium and phosphorus work together to form hydroxyapatite, the mineral compound that gives bones and teeth their rigidity.

The Role of Iron
Iron is a critical mineral required for the formation of hemoglobin, the blood pigment that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, and myoglobin, the muscle pigment that stores oxygen in muscles. Iron is also a component of various enzymes that facilitate biochemical reactions in the body. Iron absorption begins in the intestinal mucosa cells through the brush border membrane.

A deficiency in iron can lead to anemia, a condition characterized by fatigue, weakness, and decreased immune function. To prevent this, it is recommended that adults consume approximately 10 mg of iron daily. Good dietary sources of iron include liver, animal muscle tissues, eggs, oatmeal, wheat flour, cocoa, and chocolate.

The Importance of Iodine
Iodine is another essential mineral, primarily found in the hormone thyroxine, produced by the thyroid gland. This hormone is crucial for regulating metabolic rates. A deficiency in iodine can result in low metabolic levels, lethargy, and goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland. The daily requirement for iodine is about 0.1 mg. Seafood and saltwater fish are excellent sources of iodine.

Iodine deficiency is particularly detrimental to unborn babies and young children, as it can impair brain development, leading to mental retardation or even death. In regions where water lacks sufficient iodine, iodized table salt is used to ensure adequate intake. The World Health Organization recommends that iodized salt contain one molecule of iodine per 100,000 salt molecules. However, in the United States, iodized salt contains a higher concentration, with one iodine molecule per 10,000 salt molecules.

Conclusion
Minerals are vital for numerous bodily functions, from building strong bones and teeth to facilitating oxygen transport and regulating metabolism. Ensuring adequate intake of essential minerals like iron and iodine is crucial for maintaining health and preventing deficiencies that can lead to serious health issues. By consuming a balanced diet rich in these minerals, individuals can support their body's needs and promote overall well-being.
Essential Minerals for Optimal Health

Interaction of Iron with Other Nutrient

Iron is present in all cells of the body and plays a key role in many biochemical reactions.

There is no evidence that humans are ingesting sufficient zinc to induce anemia. On the other hand, excessive iron supplementation is often a practice among humans and this excessive intake of nonheme iron may have detrimental effect on zinc nutrition.

It is believe that the basis of interaction between these two minerals is their competition for some portion of a common absorptive pathway.

As a general rule, excessive concentration of one divalent ion in the gastrointestinal tract may inhibit absorption of other divalent ions. Conversely, a deficiency of one divalent ion may enhance the absorption of others.

Absorption of iron is hindered by fiber and phosphate and prompted by ascorbic acid, copper and meat proteins.

Copper and iron may interact in numerous ways. At the metabolic level, an interrelationship appears to exist between iron and copper because the role of copper containing ceruplasmin as feroxidase.

Anemia, often accompanied by accumulation of iron in the liver, has been reported on all species studied, including human. Excessive iron in the form of inorganic iron salts decreased copper status and in time resulted in clinical signs of copper deficiency in several animal species.

Also ascorbic acid and iron are interrelated on that activation of several deoxygenases by ferrous iron appears dependent on the presence of ascorbate.

Absorption of iron is controlled strictly, and excretion of iron is limited. Protein is one of the major participants in the tight regulation of iron: bioavailability of dietary iron is influenced by concomitantly ingested proteins; dietary patterns and protein status affect iron status; additionally, specialized proteins are instrumental in iron absorption and transport.
Interaction of Iron with Other Nutrient

The importance of iron in human body

There are about 4 grams of iron in the body of an average persons. Iron has several vital functions in the body. Iron is essential for the red blood cells forming and oxygen carrying to the tissues. Iron as a nutritive mineral boosts energy in human bodies, makes them active and provides them with stamina.

Iron is tightly linked to the hemoglobin, which serves as a carrier of oxygen from the lungs to all body cells. 

Most of the iron in the body is present in the erythrocytes as hemoglobin, a molecule composed of four units each containing one heme group and one protein chain.

Iron is engaged in operations in all human cells and is distributed among metabolic, structural, and transport compartments. It plays a decisive role in the growth and physical development of children and teenagers, as it helps their bodies grow in a healthy and harmonious way.

In addition to being found in hemoglobin, iron is stored in the liver, spleen, bone marrow and other tissues. 

Iron is found in egg yolk, mushrooms, red meat (beef), but also in the green leaved vegetables (spinach), watermelons etc. Vegetarian sources of iron include chickpeas, soybeans, kidney beans and lentils.

Iron absorption occurs in the proximal duodenum. Clinical disorders that affect iron absorption include malabsorption syndromes such as steatorrhea and tropical sprue.

Iron deficiency anemia impairs the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Sign and symptoms of iron deficiency, mostly demonstrated in children include parlor, listlessness, behavioral disturbances and impaired performance in some cognitive task.

In adults, work performance and productivity are most commonly impaired with iron deficiency. In United States and Canada, about 20% of women and 3% of men have the problem some 8% of women and 1% men are anemic, experiencing fatigue, weakness, apathy and headaches.
The importance of iron in human body

Iron and Iodine in Human Body

A number of minerals or elements are required for normal body functions. Human need minerals to satay healthy. People get minerals by drinking water and eating food.

Minerals play significant roles in virtually every metabolic process occurring within the body.

Iron is required, since it is an essential part of both the blood pigment, hemoglobin, and muscle pigment, myoglobin.

Some body enzymes also have composites that include iron. Deficiencies of iron cause anemia. It is the most common nutrient deficiency, affecting more than 1.2 billion people.

Liver, animal muscle tissues, eggs, oats meal, wheat flour, cocoa, and chocolate are good source of iron. Approximately 10.0 mg of iron are required daily.

For many people that meal is breakfast, which may also include citrus juice whose vitamin C may increase the absorption of nonheme iron.

Iodine is required by all vertebra animals, including the human, since it is a component of the hormone, thyroxine, produced by the thyroid gland.

Thyroid hormone is constructed from iodide and the amino acid tyrosine and has two form thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) based on the number of iodide atoms.

This hormone regulates metabolic levels. Deficiency of iodine leads to low level metabolism, lethargy, and goiter. Iodine deficiency has existed for centuries.

Requirements of iodine are believed to be about 0.1 mg daily. In food iodine is mostly in its ion form – iodide. Sea food and salt water fish are the beat sources of iodine. In areas where the water is known to be deficient in iodine, iodized table salt may be used in place of regular table salt.
Iron and Iodine in Human Body