Minerals cannot be synthesized in the body but obtained from the diet. They are naturally present in soil and water. The total amount of a mineral in a food that is dependent on digestion, its release from the food matrix and the absorption rate by the intestinal cells.
These inorganic nutrients, usually required in small amounts from less than 1 to 2500 mg per day, depending on the mineral.
Fortification of food is one of the most effective and safe strategies used to enhance nourishment.
Minerals play an important role in reduction in the risk of disease and the maintenance of good health. Minerals are vital for the proper functioning and proliferation of all dividing cells in the body.
They are needed in the build-up and function of important biomolecules in the human body. For example, humans and other vertebrates need large amounts of calcium for construction and maintenance of bone and normal function of nerves and muscles.
Phosphorus is an important constituent of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nucleic acid and is also essential for acid-base balance, bone and tooth formation. Red blood cells cannot function properly without iron in haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment of red blood cells. Iron is also an important component of the cytochromes that function in cellular respiration.
Minerals are necessary for the bone strengthening, the transmission of nerve impulses or the enzymatic structure.
Although, minerals are not a source of energy in the body but they are necessary for the maintenance of normal biochemical processes in the body.
Inappropriate intakes and/or elevated requirements resulting from a range of conditions, including disease, malabsorption, medications, and excessive losses, eventually lead to a state of deficiency or toxicity.
The body’s mineral and trace element status can be influenced by hereditary disorders such as hereditary hemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease and Menkes’ syndrome.
The importance of minerals to human body
