Mineral metabolism

For the Mineral metabolism It is important for humans to get enough of the minerals they need with their food. People need larger amounts of some minerals. That is why they are also called set elements in nutritional science. The other minerals are called trace elements.

What is the mineral metabolism

The human mineral metabolism is the complex interaction of the bulk elements and trace elements in the body. These bulk elements are calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, chloride, phosphorus and sulfur.

In addition to these bulk elements, there are also a number of trace elements that humans only need in small quantities. These include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, fluoride, chromium, selenium, tin, vanadium, molybdenum, cobalt and arsenic. What the bulk elements and trace elements have in common is that they are inorganic substances that are vital.

Unlike vitamins, minerals are not sensitive to light, air or heat and can therefore not be easily destroyed by the preparation or storage of food.

The interaction of the quantitative elements in the human body, of which larger quantities are needed in food, has been scientifically largely clarified today. It is different with trace elements. Here science is still in the process of understanding and clarifying many connections, and new findings in the field of nutrition are constantly being added.

Function & task

Some important examples should clarify the functions minerals can have in the human body. The first example is the water balance. How much sodium is inside and outside the cells is important for the distribution of water in the body. There is a constant exchange via the ion channels. Sodium is also important in drawing glucose into the blood through the intestinal wall. Many energy generation functions would therefore not be possible without sodium. Too much sodium, on the other hand, can be unhealthy.

The interaction of calcium and phosphate is important for building bones. The bones are not only important for a stable skeleton, they also represent a large store of these vital minerals, which humans can access at any time with the help of certain hormones.

Calcium alone, together with magnesium, is also required for muscle functions, among other things, and then interacts with potassium, which is essential for the transmission of stimuli. Sodium, potassium and calcium therefore constantly change their position in the mineral metabolism and are sometimes inside, but then again outside the cells. They migrate through the designated ion channels in the cells.

The organism is informed via messenger substances whether the concentration of these minerals in the blood, in the cells or in the extracellular matrix is ​​in equilibrium or not. The kidneys are important organs that can have a regulating effect here.

Phosphate, on the other hand, is needed to form ATP, i.e. for energy production, without which life would not be possible. Phosphorus alone is part of the DNA. The sulfur compound sulfate is particularly important to be able to build proteins.

None of the trace elements play an unimportant role in the body, no matter how small the amounts that are needed. Even a toxic mineral like arsenic is needed in tiny amounts where it belongs so that everything in the human body can function smoothly.

Manganese, for example, is important for the build-up of proteoglycans, which play an important role in the immune system or in blood clotting. Trace elements can, with a wrong diet, take away from each other. Therefore, it is always better to take in natural minerals with normal food instead of relying on artificial food supplements. Because then the body only gets as many minerals as it needs because it first has to split the food. It is different with artificial food supplements.

Illnesses & ailments

There are a variety of diseases that are related to mineral metabolism. Especially in old age, the hormonal functions that control the calcium balance often decline. This is how the so-called osteoporosis develops, a fragility of the bones which in old people often means that they have to reckon with broken bones particularly quickly if they fall.

Heart failure leads to disturbances in the water balance. The sodium is then no longer regulated in such a way that it is in healthy proportions inside and outside the cells. Edema develops, but it also means that the cell functions no longer function properly due to the deficiency.

Iron deficiency leads to the organism lacking oxygen. The production of energy is then disturbed and humans produce too little ATP. Since ATP is used everywhere in the metabolism, this has fatal consequences for humans.

A lack of zinc can lead to skin problems. A lack of sulfur can have fatal consequences for the formation of insulin, the utilization of vitamin B1 and many other important metabolic intermediates that have a sulfur group in the compound. Insulin deficiency, for example, can be important for the development of the metabolic syndrome. A problem with the conversion of vitamin B1 means that carbohydrates can no longer be used properly.

Magnesium is important for the functioning of the ion channels in connection with the sodium-potassium pump. If it is missing in the body, the muscles can no longer work properly. In the case of an extreme magnesium deficiency, this also applies to the heart muscle.

It is useful to design your diet so that it contains sufficient amounts of all minerals. A healthy body then pulls out as much of it as it needs. Since the body does nothing that is pointless, excess minerals are excreted again, as they are only present in natural food in split complex compounds. This is not the case with artificial minerals. Therefore caution should also be exercised when taking them.