Problems in mineral absorption - are you getting enough

Dietary Minerals

Dietary minerals represent chemical elements that are essential for living beings. They include a lot of different minerals apart from standard four elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. Dietary minerals are taken via food and some of the most important are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc and iodine. Human body requires these elements in order to function properly and maintain structure of many organs and organ systems.

Today there are recommendations when it comes to daily intake of vitamins as well as minerals. All minerals can be found in food and if one's diet is balanced he/she is taking a sufficient amount of most minerals. In case one simply does not take proper amount of certain minerals they can be additionally taken in a form of supplements.

Even though many people pay more attention to vitamins it is important to know that without minerals some of the functions in the body simply can not be performed and certain organs can get damaged. Lack of certain minerals can cause serious health issues. For example, lack of iodine can lead to goiter while insufficient intake of calcium may cause rickets. Different minerals are components of bones, blood, nerve tissue, soft tissue, muscle and teeth. Some minerals are incorporated in certain organs such as calcium while other circulate in the blood and maintain optimal pH of the blood.

More Functions of Minerals

Similarly to vitamins minerals act as catalysts and are able to improve transmission of nerve impulses through the nervous system. Furthermore, they are essential for many digestive processes as well as contraction and relaxation of muscles. Some of them also participate in hormone production. And finally, some minerals are necessary for certain vitamins to be properly absorbed.

Problems With Mineral Absorption

There are several factors that may interfere with adequate absorption of certain minerals. First of all, if there is not enough minerals in the food one consumes it is clear that the absorption will be poor. Under certain circumstances there may be comparative difficulties in absorption of minerals. For example, certain minerals may bond to specific chemicals and we simply may not be able to absorb such combinations. Minerals that bond to amino acids are easily absorbed while those bound to phytic acid are not absorbed at all. Phytic acid particularly bonds with iron, magnesium and zinc. There are several more acids found in plants that can bond with other minerals and prevent their absorption. For example, oxalic acid is an ingredient of sweet potatoes, spinach and rhubarb and it can bond with calcium and magnesium and prevent their absorption.