Essential Functions of Minerals in the Human Body

Minerals perform essential roles in the human body, broadly categorized into two main functions: building body tissues and regulating physiological processes. Structurally, minerals such as potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, and iron are vital components of soft tissues, contributing to cellular function and metabolic activity. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and fluorine are key constituents of bones and teeth, with calcium alone comprising 99% of the mineral content in bones. Inadequate intake during growth can result in stunted development and compromised skeletal integrity.

Sodium, primarily found in extracellular fluid, is the chief cation responsible for maintaining osmotic pressure, fluid balance, and pH homeostasis. Though less abundant in intracellular fluid and bone, sodium still contributes to these vital functions. The electrochemical gradient established by the separation of sodium and potassium across cell membranes is the basis of nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction.

Minerals also regulate various biochemical processes. Iodine is essential for the synthesis of thyroxine, a hormone controlling metabolism. Chromium enhances insulin activity, while iron forms the core of hemoglobin, facilitating oxygen transport. These elements are crucial to hormone production and enzymatic activity, with deficiencies leading to metabolic disorders such as hypothyroidism, anemia, and insulin resistance.

Calcium also functions as a catalyst in blood clotting, while zinc and magnesium serve as cofactors in hundreds of enzymatic reactions. Many minerals assist in the absorption of nutrients and the metabolism of macronutrients, further influencing energy production and cellular health.

Dissolved minerals maintain nerve function, muscle contraction, and the acid-base balance of body fluids. They also regulate vital signs such as respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. When deficient, mineral imbalances may cause clinical conditions, which are often reversible with dietary correction or supplementation. Additionally, their biochemical properties enable minerals to be harnessed in food processing, improving nutritional content and preservation.
Essential Functions of Minerals in the Human Body

Roles and functions of mineral manganese in human body

Manganese is an essential nutrient for intracellular activities; it functions as a cofactor for a variety of enzymes, including arginase, glutamine synthetase (GS), pyruvate carboxylase and Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD).

Manganese also plays an essential role in regulation of cellular energy, bone and connective tissue growth, and blood clotting.

Humans maintain stable tissue levels of Mn. This is achieved via tight homeostatic control of both absorption and excretion. Only a small percentage of dietary manganese is absorbed. Manganese is used in energy production and is required for normal bone growth and for reproduction. In addition, it is used in the formation of cartilage and synovial (lubricating) fluid of the joints. It is also necessary for the synthesis of bone.

Too little dietary manganese causes impaired skeletal development and reproduction, abnormal carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and movement disorders.

Manganese is essential for people with iron deficiency anemia and is needed for the utilization of vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin E. Most of the blood manganese (~60%) is distributed in soft tissues, the rest is rapidly delivered to the liver (30%), kidney (5%), pancreas (5%), colon (1%), bone (0.5.%), urinary system (0.2.%), brain (0.1.%) and erythrocytes (0.0.2%).

Manganese works well with the B complex vitamins to give as overall feeling of wellbeing.

Manganese is an important cofactor for a variety of enzymes, including those involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and metabolism. Manganese aids in the formation of mother’s milk and is a key element in the production of enzymes needed to oxidize fats and to metabolize purines, including the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase.

Enzymes containing manganese protect the body from harmful oxygen radicals, highly reactive oxygen containing molecules that can damage living tissues.

The richest food sources of manganese are nuts, bread and cereal products. The Adequate Intake of manganese for adult men and women is 2.3 and 1.8 mg/day, respectively, being the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults of 11 mg/day.
Roles and functions of mineral manganese in human body

What are the main functions of minerals in human body?

In the body, some minerals are put together in orderly arrays in such structures as bones and teeth. Minerals are also found in the fluids of the body, which influences fluid balance and distribution.

Only 16 minerals are known to be essential in human nutrition. The minerals can be classified as macrominerals and trace elements. Normal function of the human body requires both large (macro) and micro (trace) quantities of minerals.

Minerals play an important role in maintaining the immune system of our body and any deficiency reduces the responsiveness of the system making human more prone to illness an infection. Infections increase the rate of metabolism within the body and thus the rate of tissue, breakdown, which creates need for extra nutrients.

There are three major minerals most abundant and most needed in the human body for survival, and they are calcium, magnesium, and potassium. All minerals play a vital role but are needed in lesser quantities.
What are the main functions of minerals in human body?

What are nutritive minerals?

The term mineral in food and nutrition usually refers to an element other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen that is present in food.

People need minerals to remain healthy. Mineral are micronutrients and are developed from food and beverages.

Mineral elements are used by the body in a great variety of ways. They may form part of the rigid structure of the body. They may be present in the cell fluids or like sodium in extracellular fluids.

Calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorine and sulfur make up the dietary macro minerals, those minerals required at more than 100 mg/day by the adult.

Because of the large amounts of calcium all over the body, it is one of the most important minerals. Its functions are related to: mineralization of the bone tissue (bones and teeth), maintaining the cardiac rhythm, coagulating the blood, regulating the acid-basic equilibrium.

Calcium together with vitamin D3, and phosphorus play an essential role in the forming and maintenance of the bones. Calcium and phosphorus account for about 75% of the mineral elements on the body, and each of them has a number of essential functions to perform.

Calcium deficiency cause serious disorders and leads to anemia, osteoporosis, dental cavities, irregular menses, severe headaches, sexual problems (loss of libido and sexual appetite, erectile dysfunctions etc.), emotional disorders (stress, anxiety, chronic depression), sleep disorders (insomnia) and many other dysfunctions.

The main source of calcium milk and milk products, followed at a considerable distance by fruit and vegetables, cereal products, meat, fish and eggs.

Magnesium is found in most vegetables, cereals and cereal fours, beans and nuts. Magnesium supplements are extremely beneficial for maintaining healthy heart, lowering high cholesterol levels in the blood, strengthening the bones structure.

Magnesium is required for more of biochemical reactions than any other minerals. The ability to transport across cell membranes, DNA transcription, glycolysis, muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve transmission and protein synthesis are all magnesium dependent process.

A human adult contains about 20-25 g magnesium and most of it is found in the bones as magnesium phosphate.

Magnesium deficiency leads to allergies, low immunity to infections, nails, hair and teeth fragility, migraines, loss of appetite, high blood pressure, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, emotional disorders etc.

Potassium is present in the body cells as the chief intracellular cation and is associated with function of muscles and nerves and with the metabolism of carbohydrates.

It is important in maintaining the fluid volume inside cells, and the acid-base balance. Good sources of potassium are meats, eggs, oranges, bananas and fresh milk.

Trace minerals include iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, chromium, copper and fluorine. Although trace minerals are present in minute amounts they play very important riles in the diet, and modern analytical methods are extremely sensitive to accurate measure them in foods.

Iron is essential for the red blood cells forming and oxygen carrying to the tissues. Iron is tightly linked to the hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism.

Iron is found in meats, eggs, legumes, whole grains and green leafy vegetables. Iron deficiency causes anemia, shortness of breath, headaches, chronic fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, severe menstruation pains and disorders.

Meats are good source of iron, and zinc. Dairy foods provide about 80 percent of the average American’s daily calcium.
What are nutritive minerals?

Minerals in Food

Minerals are necessary for life. The dictionary defines a mineral as an inorganic element that is essential to the nutrition of humans, animals and plants.

They are the constituents which remain as ash after the combustion of plant and animals tissues. If no ash is left the food contained no minerals.

The minerals required for human health are divided into three groups macro-minerals, which are essential to good health and are need in relatively large daily qualities daily intake more than 100mg/day; trace minerals, which are also essential but are required in only very small amounts daily intake less than 100 mg/day; and ultra-trace minerals, which are accepted as important to health, although they are less understood and are required in only very small quantities (daily intake less than 1 mg/day).

Macro-minerals are sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur. Among trace elements are iron, zinc, copper, and manganese.

Among ultra trace elements are cobalt, chromium, iodine, molybdenum and selenium.

Some important food sources of certain minerals are: dairy products and green leafy vegetables for calcium; nuts, soy beans and coca for magnesium; table salt, olives, milk and spinach of sodium; legumes, potato skin, tomatoes and bananas for potassium.

The importance of minerals as food ingredients depends not only on their nutritional and physiological roles. They contribute to food flavor and activate or inhibit enzymes- catalyzed and other reactions and they affect the texture of food.
Minerals in Food